MISSISSAUGA, CANADA, May 15: A 50-year-old Punjabi businessman, Harjit Singh Dhadda, was fatally shot outside his office near Telford Way and Derry Road in Mississauga, in what officials are treating as a targeted attack. The killing marks the sixth homicide in the city this year, police said.
Dhadda, a prominent figure in the trucking services industry, originally hailed from Bajpur in Uttarakhand and had migrated to Canada nearly 30 years ago.
According to eyewitnesses, the shooting occurred as Dhadda was standing near his car. Unidentified assailants, believed to have been lying in wait, emerged from a nearby parked vehicle and fired 15 to 16 rounds at close range before fleeing the scene.
“People in the parking lot ran for cover,” said one witness. “They fired several shots and left immediately in the same car they arrived in.”
In a chilling turn, a stray bullet pierced a nearby law office, narrowly missing an employee. “It struck the chair I had just stood up from. A few seconds later, and I could’ve been hit,” the employee recounted.
Dhadda was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries shortly after.
While Peel Regional Police have not formally released the victim’s identity, officials confirmed that the investigation is now underway. “We are reviewing CCTV footage from the area to track the suspects,” said police spokesperson Michael Stafford.
Close associates of Dhadda, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that he had recently received threats from Indian phone numbers, which had caused him considerable distress. Peel Police had reportedly been alerted and had previously issued warnings regarding his safety, they added.
The fatal shooting has deeply unsettled the local South Asian community, and police have urged anyone with information to come forward as investigators continue to piece together the events leading up to the killing.
