A 46-year-old father was killed during a home invasion in Vaughan early Sunday morning. The victim, identified as Abdul Aleem Farooqi, was attacked by at least three masked suspects who entered his home in the Kleinburg area just before 1 a.m., according to York Regional Police.

Police found Farooqi injured inside his residence, where he was later pronounced dead despite attempts to save him. Authorities have labeled the incident as a “targeted attack,” but details about what transpired inside the home remain unclear. A person reportedly employed by Farooqi told a local news outlet that he was shot while trying to protect his four-year-old daughter, who had a gun pointed at her.

Farooqi was the owner of Unique Providers Air Duct Cleaning, a business operating in the Greater Toronto Area. Neighbors described a scene of distress outside the home after police arrived, with one witness recalling a woman collapsing in tears and a teenage boy repeatedly saying, “My dad.”

Ron Chhinzer, a Conservative candidate for the 2025 federal election and former Toronto police officer, expressed his outrage on social media, stating, “if the information I received about this incident is true, Canada, your blood will (and should) go beyond boiling when it gets released.” He also shared unconfirmed reports suggesting that Farooqi was killed in front of his wife and children.

Local officials, including Prabmeet Sarkaria, MPP for Brampton South, called the incident “heartbreaking and enraging.” Sarkaria emphasized that no parent should have to face the terror of a gun being pointed at their child in their own home. King—Vaughan MPP Stephen Lecce, who had previously met Farooqi, remembered him as a dedicated family man and hardworking business leader.

Farooqi had appeared in several YouTube videos promoting his business six years ago. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre also condemned the violence, expressing his heartbreak over the incident and noting it was the second homicide in the area within days.

On Wednesday, another victim, 41-year-old Deuvane Donald Francis, died from gunshot wounds at a Vaughan commercial business. Poilievre called for stronger laws to combat the crime wave affecting the country. Lecce and Sarkaria echoed this sentiment, advocating for harsher penalties for violent crimes to enhance public safety.

“This is an unimaginable nightmare for the family and for all the neighbors,” Lecce stated, urging the reinstatement of federal mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders.

Premier Doug Ford is expected to address the issue of violent crime in Ontario during a media briefing on Tuesday. Vaughan Mayor Steve Del Luca expressed condolences and emphasized the need for federal assistance to improve public safety, particularly regarding the bail system.

A vigil for Farooqi was held Sunday night, attended by Conservative MPs Anna Roberts and Michael Guglielmin, both of whom called for action to remove illegal firearms from the streets and curb violent crime.