Satwinder Singh moved to Canada from India to further his education and study global business management. After completing a one-year master’s program at an Ontario college last month, he now has to make plans for his future. Instead, the 28-year-old became the third victim to die in the wake of last week’s shooting spree that also killed 48-year-old Toronto police officer Andrew Hong and 38-year-old businessman Shakeel Ashraf. Several others were injured in the attacks. In a statement released over the weekend, the Halton Regional Police Service said Mr Singh died peacefully at Hamilton General Hospital with friends and family by his side. Police had earlier said the young man was not expected to survive. According to an online GoFundMe page in Mr Singh’s honour, the former international student had been placed on life support and declared brain dead. He is described in the post as a “beloved son, brother and grandson who will be missed every day.” He had a passion for reading and writing poetry. Mr. Singh, who earned an MBA in marketing in India, was an international student at Conestoga College. The college has several campuses in Ontario, including Brantford, which is home to the global business management program. He worked part-time at MK Collision Center in Milton, Ont. The car garage was the site of the second of two fatal attacks on September 12 at the hands of a man identified as 40-year-old Sean Petrie. The shooting prompted an outpouring of condolences, including from federal emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair, a former Toronto police chief. The violence erupted in Mississauga just after 2 p.m. ET, when Constable Hong, who was in town for a training session and on his lunch break at Tim Hortons, was shot and killed at close range. Investigators believe the killing was unprovoked and that the suspect was on the lookout for a police officer. A second person was injured. Investigators say they believe the gunman then drove to the Milton car dealership, which was owned by Mr Ashraf. An MK Collision employee who witnessed the attack there said he knew the gunman as his former partner. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the employee out of fear for his safety. He said he was shot but not hit. The suspect said he wanted to meet with Mr Ashraf and waited for up to 20 minutes, the worker said. He said that after a brief conversation, the gunman started shooting. Mr Ashraf tried to grab the gunman’s hands but was shot in the head, the witness said. The shooter continued to fire, hitting an employee who was seriously injured in the chest and a man who was less seriously injured in the leg. After fleeing the garage, the suspect was killed in a standoff with police in Hamilton. The funeral for Constable Hong, remembered as a 22-year veteran of Toronto Police and a devoted husband and father of two teenage children, is set for Wednesday at the Toronto Convention Center on the city’s northwest corridor. At Mr Ashraf’s funeral last week, mourners described him as a courageous father, a loving community member and a talented cricketer. As of Sunday afternoon, a GoFundMe page in Mr. Singh’s honor had raised more than $35,000 to support the young man’s family and return his body to India. “It will leave us with a dent in our hearts for life,” the post said. “This is a difficult time for our family and we need prayers from all of you.” With reporting by Colin Freeze, Molly Hayes and The Canadian Press
