No charges against police who killed GTA shooting spree suspect: SIU

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit has found four officers with Hamilton and Halton police "legally justified" in shooting and killing a man who killed three individuals across the GTA in September.

The shooter, identified as Shawn Petrie, was killed during what the SIU said was likely a shootout in Hamilton Cemetery on Sept. 12. The SIU says he had attempted to kill at least eight other individuals.

The police watchdog said in a report Tuesdayit's not clear which bullets from which police officer's firearms wounded the 40-year-old man.

SIU Director Joseph Martinosaid theofficers acted with legally justified forcegiven the circumstances, highlighting the fact the suspect had attempted to harm eight other people.

"As there were no reasonable grounds to believe that any of the officers comported themselves other than within the limits of the criminal law when they fired at the man, there was no basis for proceeding with charges in this case," reads the report.

The file has been closed, the SIU said.

Long criminal history

Petrie killed three people during his shootingrampage: Toronto police officer Const. Andrew Hong, 48,Shakeel Ashraf, 38, and a28-year-old international student,Satwinder Singh.

Singh was working at an auto body shop in Milton, Ont., owned by Ashraf.Both men were shot moments apart. Hong was fatally shot about half an hour earlier at aMississauga Tim Hortons. Two other victims were also shot over the course of the afternoon and sustained various degrees of injuries.

Petrie had a long criminal history that included convictions forassault, armed robbery and other violent offences, Peel Regional Police ChiefNishanDuraiappah said following the shooting rampage. In 2007 he was placed on a national registry as someone with a high likelihood to reoffend in connection with an incident two years earlier.

He was estranged from his family,Duraiappahadded, and was briefly employed at the auto shop owned by Ashraf.

Shooter used handgun, investigators say

Police saidPetrieused a handgun in the shootings.

Investigators believe Hong the first of the victims to be shotwas targeted because he was a uniformed police officer.

Hong was inside a Tim Hortons location onArgentia Road inMississauga at the time.Hewas in Peel for a joint training exercise and was on his lunch break. He had gone to get coffee for his colleagues when he was ambushed by Petrie and shot at close range at around 2:15 p.m.,Duraiappah said.

Police said Petrie attempted to disarm Hong before shooting him. Hong was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to investigators, Petriehad been at the coffee shop for about two hours and 15 minutes prior. He arrived in a red Toyota Corolla with licence plateCXMM 077 and parked in an adjacent lot before entering. The car was registered to Petrie, police said. Investigators believe he had been living in the vehicle.

Petrie then stole another vehicle and shot the driver. That victim suffered "life altering" injuries, saidDuraiappah.

Petrie then droveto the Milton auto shop, where at around 2:50 p.m.he shot Ashrafand two employees Singh and a 43-year-old man. The latter was hospitalized and later released.

Afterward, Petrie made his way to Hamilton, though police said they are not sure why. At around 4:30 p.m., officers from Halton and Hamilton encountered him in a cemetery and Petrie was killed.