A man in his 40s is dead and a teenager has critical injuries after they were shot in the parking lot of a Mississauga school overnight, police say.
Peel Regional Police Const. Tyler Bell said officers responded to a parking lot adjacent to Settlers Green Public School at Montevideo Road and Lorca Crescent, in the Glen Erin Drive and Battleford Road area, at 11:10 p.m. Wednesday for reports of shots fired.
“When officers arrived on scene, they did locate a shooting scene and established that two individuals had been shot,” Bell told reporters.
A man has since been pronounced dead and a second male — a teenager — is in critical condition in hospital, Bell said.
Paramedics told Global News they were called to the scene but that call was then cancelled, with the two patients having been transported to hospital in a civilian vehicle.
Bell said there was “some form of gathering” at the parking lot on the east side of the school when the shooting occurred.
“The nature of that gathering is unknown at this time, but there was some sort of altercation that occurred between the two victims and either a suspect or suspects. The number right now is … unclear,” he said.
Bell said it was “pretty populated,” with varying reports of 10 to 20 people gathered.
Some witnesses who were there are speaking with police, Bell said.
He said the two victims were associated to one another, but the nature of their relationship is unclear.
A Mercedes was seen in the cordoned-off area with evidence markers next to it, but Bell said it wasn’t clear how it may have been involved.
“At the time of the shooting, there are reports of vehicles leaving the area. But unfortunately it’s too early to tell at the moment whether those are witnesses, or suspects, or just individuals fleeing the sound of gunfire,” he added.
School remains open Thursday, parking lot closed
A spokesperson for the Peel District School Board said that Settlers Green Public School is open Thursday, but the parking lot is closed.
Bell said the decision to keep the school open is “beyond that” of police.
“We are working closely with the school obviously to maintain scene security and ensure the well-being of the students within,” he said.
Bell said there would be a large police presence at the scene for the next several hours as officers canvass for security footage and investigate what happened.
Police said the shooting appears to have been an “isolated incident.”
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