Police release suspect sketches after retired Ontario man shot multiple times walking his dog
Posted May 9, 2023 11:13 am.
Last Updated May 9, 2023 11:45 am.
York Regional Police have updated an investigation into a February shooting that involved multiple suspects shooting a retired man several times as he walked his dog.
Police initially responded to a weapons call near Schomberg, 50 kilometres northwest of downtown Toronto, around 8:40 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. When officers arrived, they found a 65-year-old man with gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said the victim was walking his dog in the area of Centre and Church streets when an SUV sped past at a high rate of speed. Police say the man “innocently gestured” at the vehicle when it turned around and circled back toward him.
The SUV drove at the man, and a person in the front passenger seat fired several rounds at him. Police say 13 shots were fired but could not confirm how many times the victim was hit.
At the time, investigators said they were stunned by this “callous act of violence.”
“This was a cowardly violent act against the victim, who was doing nothing more than enjoying the morning,” Insp. Jim Killby said.
RELATED: Police release info, video of suspect vehicle in Schomberg drive-by shooting
In an update from police on Tuesday, they said the man is going through a lengthy recovery process but is doing well and is expected to survive.
Investigators believed it to have been a spontaneous act committed after the victim gestured at the vehicle, but details have since revealed that this was a targeted shooting despite the retired man not being the planned target.
The suspect vehicle in Schomberg, Ont. Photo: York Regional Police/YouTube.
York Regional Police released sketches of the two suspects and is appealing to the public to help identify them. They operated a white 2021 Lexus RX-350 with the Ontario licence plate CXAK183.
The suspect vehicle was reported stolen in Jan. 2023 from The East Mall and Burnhamthorpe Drive area in Etobicoke.
Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for the vehicle and to contact investigators if it’s spotted.
“Recovering the vehicle would be of great assistance to this investigation,” reads a York Regional Police release.
With files from Michael Ranger of CityNews
