Mississauga gas station murder is the latest shooting incident in a violent year

The shooting death of a Mississauga gas station attendant this past Saturday night (Dec. 3) is the latest incident in a wave of gun-related violence that has swept the northwest part of the city in 2022.

Peel Regional Police are still on the hunt for the killer of Pawanpreet Kaur, 21, the Brampton woman who was gunned down just after 10:30 p.m. as she worked at the Petro-Canada gas station on the northeast corner of Britannia and Creditview Rds.

It was the 13th murder in Mississauga this year, and the 27th in Peel, nearly double the number in all of 2021 (14 murders in Peel).

There were 18 murders in the region in 2020 and 31 in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on public gatherings taking hold.

Late Monday (Dec. 5), Peel homicide detectives provided further information about the suspect who shot Kaur multiple times while she was working.

Police say the culprit “wore a three-quarter-length dark winter jacket with a hood, dark winter boots, dark pants, a dark winter toque and white gloves. It appears that the suspect was smoking a cigarette. The suspect did not pull the hood up over their head until shortly before shooting the victim at close range.”

Police add they’ve collected extensive video footage and interviewed several witnesses in order to determine the shooter’s movements in the hours before the killing.

Investigators have said they believe Kaur was targeted, adding it’s possible the killer may have visited the gas station prior to the shooting.

“Investigators have determined that the suspect was on foot in the vicinity of the homicide scene three hours prior to the shooting,” police said on Monday.

“During that time frame, the suspect was observed crossing over Britannia Rd., east of the intersection, and crossing Creditview Rd., north of the intersection. The suspect may or may not have visited this location in the past.”

Police say that following the shooting, the killer was spotted running from the scene westbound across Creditview Rd., then westbound on Britannia Rd., and then westbound onto Camgreen Circle.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call police at 905-453-2121, ext. 3205 or Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

The deadly shooting is the latest in a rash of similar violent incidents that have shaken west Mississauga neighbourhoods so far in 2022.

On Nov. 2, a man was shot to death near Meadowvale Community Centre in the city’s north end in Peel’s 26th homicide of the year.

The victim was found on a pathway south of the community centre, which is located just east of Meadowvale Town Centre shopping mall.

Twice so far this year, Peel police have set aside Saturdays to go door to door in Meadowvale-area neighbourhoods–and Erin Mills as well–in search of information related to shootings, some of them fatal.

The en masse police efforts also sought to offer safety tips to area residents and assure them everything possible was being done to solve the violent crimes.

The latest door-to-door police effort took place in late August, when investigators were seeking information on several shootings.

Investigators with the Peel police 11 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau said at the time that the effort was also intended to raise awareness among residents of the Glen Erin Dr./Britannia Rd. neighbourhood so they can take necessary precautions to keep safe.