Three men are facing murder charges in what police said was a targeted hit on a 27-year-old man from Alberta last summer in Oakville, Ont.
Halton Regional Police said officers found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds in the area of Belt Lane and Littlefield Road in Oakville on Aug. 19, 2022.
Arman Dhillon of Alberta was pronounced dead at the scene and a woman sustained “life-altering” injuries, but survived the shooting.
No one else was injured in the attack, police said, adding the suspects fled the scene.
After months of investigating, Halton police on Tuesday searched three different locations in the Greater Toronto Area, along with officers from Peel Regional police and Hamilton police, and arrested three men.
Police say 30-year-old Joseph Richard Whitlock from Pickering, 29-year-old Karn Veer Sandhu from Edmonton, and 25-year-old Kulvir Bhatia from Calgary are charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.
None of the accused were on a form of release for violent crime at the time of the killing, police said.
The homicide was targeted and planned — crossing provincial lines as part of a larger criminal-based conflict, said Halton Regional Police.
“This was a terrifying event for the residents of this community,” said HRPS Deputy Chief Jeff Hill.
“The Halton Regional Police Service will relentlessly investigate all acts of gun violence. “
Due to a publication ban, police said they were unable to share any additional details, however, Global News has learned the victim was previously acquitted of murder in Edmonton.
Alberta Justice confirmed the Ontario victim is also the same Arman Dhillon who, when he was 23, was on trial in 2018 for a fatal shooting outside a Whyte Avenue nightclub.
Amin Mohammed Abdullahi, 30, was killed outside what was then Tribute Lounge on 81 Avenue and 105 Street on March 27, 2016.
Dhillon was on trial for first-degree murder but was found not guilty.
He had been charged with the death, as well as attempted murder while using a restricted firearm, aggravated assault and a number of other breaches.
He had a criminal history that included possession for the purpose of trafficking, dangerous driving, evading police as well as three breaches from October 2014; two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property under $5,000 from September 2014; and an impaired driving charge from October 2015.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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