The daughter of a Toronto-area businessman killed in a brazen shooting in Mississauga says she believes her father would still be alive if police acted with greater urgency to the repeated threats against him.
Speaking to the Star, Gurlin Dhadda identified the victim of Wednesday鈥檚 killing as her father, Harjeet Singh Dhadda, 51. She called him a hardworking man, a proud Canadian resident and a leader in the local Punjabi Sikh community.聽
“He was a hero to me. He was mine and my brother鈥檚 everything,鈥 said Gurlin, 23.聽
鈥淲e lost a hero. A pillar of our family. I don鈥檛 know what we did wrong to deserve this.鈥
Dhadda worked as an insurance broker in the same office building as G&G Trucking Solutions, a trucking company owned by his wife. He was聽shot multiple times in the parking lot outside聽G&G’s office near just before noon on Wednesday.
The company’s manager, Balkar Khakh, said workers in the building heard the gunfire and rushed outside to find Dhadda wounded on the ground, next to a pickup truck.
Bullet casings were scattered around him.
Khakh said his colleagues saw two suspects fire a final shot before driving away in a 2018 Black Dodge Challenger that didn’t have a license plate.聽
Dhadda died in hospital, despite life-saving efforts by first responders.聽
According to Khakh, Singh had received threats in recent months, and officers had come by his office last year after Singh reported them. Khakh said he doesn鈥檛 know the nature of the threats, only that they did not concern G&G and that Singh was known to be 鈥渁 very nice guy.鈥
In a press release on Friday, Peel Regional Police said the shooting was targeted and that the suspect vehicle was recovered at the scene. No arrests have been made in the case.
In an interview and in an online statement, Dhadda鈥檚 daughter, Gurlin, spoke affectionately about her father and shared her family鈥檚 calls for justice.
Dhadda’s killing, she alleged in the statement, came after years of threats and extortion calls 鈥渨hile the authorities did nothing to protect him.鈥
The earliest threat was in April 2023, when a hit man hired to kill Dhadda ended up coming forward to tell him of the planned attack, Gurlin said. She said there was an ongoing investigation, but it ended due to a lack of evidence.
Months later, in December 2023, Peel police announced an investigation looking at a 鈥渄isturbing鈥 series of extortion attempts targeting members of South Asian businesses. Dhadda, Gurlin said, was among those targeted.
He received a threatening phone call from someone demanding $500,000, Gurlin said, and then reported it to police. She said her family was under police protection for a week but that 鈥渘o security was provided鈥 after that 鈥 despite subsequent threats and reports to police.
鈥淭here was nothing done to help my dad,鈥 Gurlin said, adding she believes he’d still be alive if more action was taken.聽
鈥淲e begged for protection. But our cries for help went unanswered,鈥 she said in her statement shared to social media.
鈥淭he system that was supposed to keep us safe failed him.鈥
Peel police did not respond to the Star’s request for comment on the allegations. In their statement, however, police said they are aware of “unverified information” circulating online and in the media about a potential motive.
“Peel Regional Police is urging the public to refrain from speculation as this remains an active investigation, and all potential leads will be thoroughly examined.”
Gurlin is remembering her father as a man who led with strength and honesty. He came to Canada “with nothing” and built a life for her, her brother, mother and grandmother.
He was a father figure to many, Gurlin continued, whether it was someone looking for guidance to get their start in the trucking business or an international student struggling to make ends meet.
He regularly opened their home to students new to Canada, offering them a free room until they secured a job. They鈥檇 stay for a few months at a time.
It was something Gurlin said her father had done since 2010.
鈥淚f anyone ever had an issue, he was always there,鈥 she said. 鈥淣o matter what.鈥
In the summertime, Dhadda enjoyed planting vegetables on the family鈥檚 farm. He鈥檇 make sure to get everyone involved, including his two dogs.
Bruno, an eight-year-old Shorkie, 鈥渨as his life,” Gurlin said. The pair shared a daily routine and slept together each night. Before work, Dhadda took her for a car ride every morning.
Since his death, there has been a noticeable shift in Bruno鈥檚 energy. 鈥淪he knows he鈥檚 missing,” Gurlin said.
In her statement, Gurlin said the entire community is both grieving and outraged following her father’s killing. She said her family is calling for accountability and more action against criminals, as well as an overhaul of how threat reports are handled.聽
“No one should have to live in fear,” she wrote. “No family should have to bury a loved one because warnings were ignored.”
With files from Abby O’Brien and Elissa Mendes聽
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