Ontario Premier Doug Ford this week congratulated a Vaughan, Ont., homeowner who shot and wounded an alleged burglar, saying the intruder “needs to be shot.”
“Congratulations on shooting this guy – as far as I’m concerned, you should have shot him a few more times,” Ford said after being asked about the incident at an unrelated news conference Wednesday.
In his response, Ford went on to attack the federal government for “going after legitimate, law-abiding gun owners” and “weak judges” for letting people post bail.
“They always want to protect the bad guys, judges always want to protect Charter rights – so what about the People’s Charter of Rights? Keep them safe instead of always protecting these criminals,” Ford said. “I’m just tired of it.”
Opposition NDP Leader Mariette Stiles called Ford’s statement “very irresponsible nonsense” in an interview with reporters Wednesday morning.
“This premier has been premier of this province for eight years,” she said. “If people in Ontario feel less safe today, then that’s his responsibility as premier of the province.”
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner echoed those sentiments in a statement to CBC News.
“It is irresponsible for the prime minister to make comments that encourage violence or celebrate the loss of life,” he said. “He should focus on investing in measures that make our province safer and enable first responders to do their jobs, serving and protecting our communities.”
Video recorded the incident
York Regional Police said earlier this week that no charges have been filed against the resident, who used a legally owned and properly stored firearm in the incident.
Police said a middle-aged man and an elderly woman were home at the time, and no one in the home was injured.
According to investigators, around 1 a.m. Tuesday, police received a report of a shooting at a residence in the area of ​​Carrville Woods Circle and Crimson Forest Drive, near Rutherford Road and Dufferin Street.
They said multiple suspects allegedly forced their way into the home armed with at least one firearm. The suspect was then seen getting into a black pickup truck and fleeing the scene.
Police released video of the incident on Tuesday, showing the masked suspect entering and exiting the house. Rapid gunfire could be heard as they ran from the home toward the truck.
Investigators said they later determined the man who was shot was taken to a Toronto-area hospital shortly after the incident.
Man faces multiple charges
In a news release issued Wednesday, police said a 24-year-old man of no fixed address is facing charges of armed robbery and disguise.
He was also charged with violating a probation order because he was on probation for an unrelated offense at the time, police said.
The man was taken into police custody at the hospital and was in stable condition, according to the release.
Investigators said the defendant was known to police and wanted for “multiple violent crimes.”
In a statement posted on social media on Wednesday, Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca said he was thankful the homeowner was not charged because it was an act of self-defense.
“We have seen too many of these incidents involving individuals who are already known to police and have been released, highlighting the deeply broken bail system that is failing our communities,” he said.
