The Toronto police officer killed in a shooting in Mississauga is being remembered by his family as a “man of steel on the outside” with a “warm teddy bear personality on the inside.”
Toronto police confirmed on Monday that 48-year-old Const. Andrew Hong was killed in a shooting in Mississauga, where he was attending a joint training exercise. He was a 22-year member of the force.
In a statement Tuesday, Hong’s family said his “personality was larger than life.”
“He loved his Police family and was so proud to be a member of the Toronto Police Service, and especially loved being a part of the Motor Unit,” the statement read.
His family said Hong was a “practical joker” who “got along with everyone.”
“His absence has left a gaping hole in the hearts of our family, the Police family, and everyone who knew and loved Andrew,” the statement said.
The family said they were “overwhelmed with love and support” and asked for privacy.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford attended the Toronto police traffic services headquarters on Tuesday to offer his condolences.
Ford called the news of Hong’s death “heartbreaking.”
“We just came by to give our support and our prayers and thoughts to fellow colleagues of Constable Hong,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“This is a senseless shooting tragedy that’s taken place, and I just want to, again, offer our prayers and thoughts to his entire family.”
Ford said he wanted to “send a message” to all police officers that Ontario will “always have their backs.”
“They’re there to protect each and every one of us every single day. In crisis, who do we call? We call the police right away,” he said. “And this was a senseless tragedy — Constable Hong was blatantly shot in the back for wearing a uniform.”
Ford said he also wanted to thank the officers for their service.
“I just want them to know that the people of Ontario are there to support them, our government will be there to support them and that we will always be there and have their backs,” he said.
Ford also offered his condolences to the family of Shakeel Ashraf, who was shot and killed in Milton on Monday, saying his “heart goes out’ to his loved ones.
“I don’t want them to think they were forgotten,” he said. “And then the three other people that are injured — it’s a terrible tragedy.”
In a series of tweets Tuesday morning, Toronto Mayor John Tory said he attended the force’s Traffic Services headquarters Tuesday morning to “offer condolences to Constable Andrew Hong’s fellow officers and to show our support for them during this tragic time.”
“While (Toronto police) officers continue to grieve the loss of their colleague and friend, they are on the job today keeping our city safe and helping those who need it,” he wrote in a post on Twitter. “I thanked them for their service and urged them to use the supports that the police service has in place.”
According to Toronto police Chief James Ramer, Hong was shot at “close range” and “died at the scene.”
“The details of his murder are the subject of a Peel Regional Police investigation and I am working closely with Chief Nish Duraiappah to determine what exactly happened to our officer,” Ramer said in a statement Monday.
The chief said Const. Hong is survived by his wife, two children and his parents.
“I committed to his family that they will have the full support of the Toronto Police every day going forward,” Ramer said.
“This is devastating news for his family and for all members of the Toronto Police Service and our entire policing community,” he continued. “We will lean on each other while we work to support Constable Hong’s family, and each other, in our grief.”
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie called the incident “profoundly shocking.”
“We’re all looking for answers, as you are, pending the police investigation,” she told reporters on Tuesday.
Crombie said the flags “across the City of Mississauga” and dimming the clock tower.
Crombie said “we’re all grieving together.”
“We are one community,” she said. “I’m absolutely devastated at this loss for myself, for our residents, for our first responders who are here for us each and every day.”
Crombie said first responders “put their lives on the line each and every day,” but “expect to come home to their families that night.”
“And now we have two families that have been severely impacted. There’s another individual still receiving emergency treatment and is on life support in a hospital,” she said. “And those are families without fathers today. So we all grieve together.”
Crombie said she believed the incident was “isolated.”
“We are still one of the safest communities in Canada,” she said. “But today we mourn the losses to individuals and we do this together may they rest in peace.”