Parole Board of Canada documents show the man believed to be behind Monday’s shootings in the greater Toronto and Hamilton area had a history of robbery, drug dealing and gun possession, as well as gang ties. The Special Investigations Unit has not released the suspect’s name because they say his family has not given his consent. Peel Regional Police initially identified the suspect as 30-year-old Shawn Petry in a provincewide emergency alert Monday that warned the public of an “active shooter, armed and dangerous.” Sources close to the investigation, who are not authorized to speak publicly, have since identified the man as Sean Petrie, 40. The SIU said four officers shot Petrie later Monday and he died after a standoff at a Hamilton cemetery. Parole board documents for a Sean Petrie with the same birth date as the suspect in Monday’s shootings show the man was in prison in 2010 — the location is listed on parole documents — under medium security and subject to legal release. The 48-year-old Const. Andrew Hong, who worked with the Toronto police traffic unit, left, and Shakeel Ashraf, 38, owner of an auto repair shop in Milton, right, were both fatally shot. (Name withheld, submitted by Junaid Butt) “The cycle of crime, as evidenced by your criminal history, is directly linked to the negative influence of other criminals, including those involved in the gang subculture,” the board wrote on Aug. 17, 2010. “Your involvement with these associates has resulted in your convictions for property crimes, robbery, drug trafficking and gun possession.”
The conditions included no contact with a particular gang
The council said Petrie scored -3 on the Reoffending Statistics scale, which it said meant “1 in 2 offenders will not re-offend after release”. The board imposed a number of conditions on Petrie’s release. These included no contact with any gang, including anyone associated with a particular gang. Gang name redacted. In order to prevent him from associating with that gang, the council banned Petrie from entering an area of northwest Toronto “where the predominance of your criminal activity has taken place.” The board also imposed a condition on him to refrain from buying and taking over-the-counter drugs. “You have demonstrated comfort in the possession of cocaine and other drugs for the purpose of trafficking,” the board wrote. “There is also an indication of regular marijuana use that is not beneficial to your rehabilitation. You have refused institutional drug testing resulting in sanctions.” Petrie had completed violence prevention programming “with some gains” and the board noted he had support from his girlfriend and siblings at the time.
Finding work “key board” release
The parole board also imposed “enhanced supervision” due to “negative institutional behavior.” Petrie also had to find work as a “keyboard” of his release into the community. You will need help in this area as most of your previous ability to raise money has been illegal,” the board said. The pursuit ended about two hours after the first of two shootings reported Monday afternoon. Ontario police say officers shot the suspect after spotting him at a Hamilton cemetery. (Paul Smith/CBC) The parole board said Wednesday that Petrie’s legal parole was based on law and not a board decision. He had to follow a set of conditions for a period of time in order to complete his sentence, which he did on June 19, 2012, the board said. “The risk assessment carried out to make this decision was based on the offender’s behavior at the time,” the council said. Petrie was not serving a federal prison sentence at the time of this week’s shooting, the board said. Police allege the suspect in Monday’s shooting launched an “unprovoked” attack on Const. Andrew Hong at 2:15 pm as the officer was eating lunch inside a Tim Hortons while on a break from a motorcycle training session in Mississauga, Ont. Another person was shot at this point. The suspect then shot and killed auto shop owner Shakeel Ashraf, 38, and wounded two others in Milton, Ont., before fleeing again. Sources say a pursuit ensued along the highway, eventually leading to Hamilton Cemetery around 4:30 p.m., where the suspect died.
