Funeral held for Milton auto shop owner killed in shooting spree

The funeral for the Milton auto shop owner killed in a GTA shooting spree was held in Mississauga on Wednesday.

Shakeel Ashraf was fatally shot on Monday after a suspect shot and killed a Toronto police officer in Mississauga earlier in the day.

Ashraf leaves behind a wife and two daughters and is being described as a devoted family man, good community worker and lover of cricket. A friend and customer of the auto shop says Ashraf was very active in the community and was always full of life.

He ran a mechanic shop located on Bronte Street South in Milton and was working on the job when the suspect shot him.

Sources tell CityNews that the suspect in the shooting rampage was an employee of the shop for a few weeks. There are unconfirmed reports that the suspect was fired in the morning, hours before the shooting.

Amin Jan, a close friend of Ashraf’s, tells CityNews that he was a genuine, honest person that always looked out for his family.

“Always helping the community. He was always asking others if they needed some help, needed some money,” Jan said. “If anyone needed any support from our Islamic centre, our food bank. He was always willing to help.”

MK Auto Repairs in Milton, Ontario. The owner was shot and killed by a suspect on Monday, September 12, 2022. Photo: Bahaa Attia/CityNews.

Jan says as soon as he received the Emergency Alert from Peel police, he then heard the news that the shooter was in Milton, near the auto shop.

“We came to see him, but there were cops [everywhere],” Jan said, noting that police had already surrounded the area.

Members of AG Law Professional Corporation launched a GoFundMe in Ashraf’s honour. Abhay Gautam, the owner of AG Law Professional, says the shooting occurred adjacent to their office in Milton.

“We saw grief and agony unfold this afternoon as the news was broken to the family members,” Gautam writes on the GoFundMe page, adding that Ashraf was integral to the Milton community.

The Islamic Relief Canada Facebook group, meanwhile, says Brother Shakeel was a father of three children and a beloved community member from Milton.

Gautam tells CityNews he didn’t know Ashraf personally but said his family was inconsolable.

“Their world was turned upside down within seconds,” the local lawyer said. “That prompted me to see what I could do for the family, especially because the victim was a young person, survived by a family of three daughters.”

Gautam says he’s never seen violence like that in Milton during his five years within the community.

“It’s shaken everyone to the core.”

Milton community members shaken by senseless tragedy 

The Event Ontario Softball Cricket League (EOSCL) issued a statement on behalf of Team MSA Qalandars, of who Ashraf was a member and cricket player. 

“We request that all EOSCL members please pray for those affected by the tragedy in Milton and Mississauga.”

Islamic Relief Canada is offering prayers for the recovery of those injured and issued condolences to the family of Toronto police Const. Andrew Hong, who was shot in what investigators referred to as an ambush attack.

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Hong was in Mississauga on Monday for a training session and was on his lunch break when he was shot at close range, police said.

Halton police confirmed the same suspect was responsible for the fatal shooting less than an hour later at Ashraf’s auto body shop, where two other people were shot.

“One person is in critical condition, and one is in serious condition,” said Halton police chief Stephen Tanner.

The suspect fled the scene in Halton Region and was found in Hamilton.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said it was investigating a shooting involving a Halton regional police officer in Hamilton. In a statement late Monday, the SIU noted preliminary information indicated police shot the suspect in the cemetery. The SIU said paramedics were called, but the man died at the scene.

The SIU, which investigates police when someone is injured or killed when officers are involved, has sent a large team to the sprawling scenes with seven investigators and two forensic investigators, said spokeswoman Kristy Denette.

“There’s a number of firearms that have been looked at,” she said. “It’s not clear whose firearms sort of belong to who at this point…There are a number of bullet casings scattered throughout the scene, so it’s some time just to process everything.”

Peel regional police are co-ordinating a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the shootings.

“We extend our thoughts and deepest sympathies to all families, loved ones and responding Emergency Responders affected by [Monday’s] tragic events,” said Peel regional police chief Nishan Duraiappah.

“Toronto police colleagues of Const. Hong, his friends and family, we offer our sincerest condolences.”

With files from The Canadian Press