Peel Region police say they believe the man behind a series of shootings this week was looking to target a police officer.

 

Toronto Const. Andrew Hong was killed while at a coffee shop in Mississauga on Monday before the same suspect killed, Shakeel Ashraf, an auto shop owner in Milton.

 

 

Peel police say the gunman, 40-year-old Sean Petrie, was at the Tim Hortons where Hong was killed for a little over two hours before the shooting.

Police say they believe Petrie was “looking for a police officer.”

Peel police say Petrie, who died after a confrontation with police in Hamilton later Monday, had an extensive criminal record and in 2007 was placed on a national flagging system as someone with a high risk to reoffend.

They say he had worked for a short time at the Milton auto shop where the second shooting took place, but don’t know whether he was employed at the time of the shooting.

Police also say they believe Petrie was living out of his car at the time of the shootings.

Halton police say one of two other people injured at the Milton auto shop shooting is currently on life support and “not expected to survive.”

Police are asking members of the public for help gathering information on Petrie, particularly on his activity and lifestyle leading up to Monday’s shootings.

(The Canadian Press)