A dispute at a North Toronto financial business turned deadly June 17 after a shooting claimed the lives of three adults, including that of the suspected shooter, and prompted lockdowns at a nearby daycare and school.
Toronto Police Detective Sergeant Alan Bartlett said the incident occurred in a commercial building in the city’s Don Mills neighbourhood, but he declined to say how the alleged shooter died or to identify the victims.
“What I can say is that we believe that the individual responsible for the shooting is among the deceased,” Det.-Sgt. Bartlett told reporters at the scene that evening.
The identities of the victims—Arash Missaghi, 54, of Toronto, and Samira Yousefi, 44, of Concord—were released by the police in an evening press release June 18. The third deceased is a 46-year old man who is believed to be responsible for the shooting, the press release added.
The Toronto Police Service responded to reports of gunshots at approximately 3:25 p.m. at the commercial building, Det.-Sgt. Bartlett said. Officers arrived on the scene “quickly” and found two men and one woman dead.
Police also believe there were four people inside the commercial building at the time of the incident, Det.-Sgt. Bartlett said, adding that “some sort of financial transaction” may have taken place prior to the shots being fired.
“It’s our belief, at this point, that the altercation that took place in there was in relation to that business,” he said.
A nearby daycare and a school in the area were locked down as a result of the shooting but none of the children were directly impacted by the occurrence other than being forced to shelter inside the building, Det.-Sgt. Bartlett said.
The Toronto Police Emergency Task Force was deployed to ensure public safety, he said, adding that all children were reunited with their parents.
He said there was no access between the commercial offices and the daycare or school.
