Police search for suspect in fatal Brampton shooting, alleged child abduction

Courtney Heels has the latest on the investigation into a fatal shooting that is linked to a now cancelled Amber Alert in Brampton.

Peel police are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed a woman in Brampton and then fled in a car with his one-year-old daughter in the back seat, which prompted an Amber Alert to be issued.

Police said a call came in shortly before 2 p.m. for a shooting in the parking lot of a strip mall near Queen Street East and Airport Road.

When officers arrived, they located a woman with apparent gunshot wounds. Peel police media relations officer Const. Mandeep Khatra said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts.

Her identity has not been released.

Khatra said the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Anthony Deschepper, fled in a black 2024 Nissan Kicks with a Quebec licence plate FRV4520. At the time, his infant daughter was in the back seat.

As a result, an Amber Alert was issued, and more than an hour and a half later, the girl was found safe and in good health, Khatra said, noting that she was dropped off with family members.

However, Deschepper has not been located.

He is described as a five-foot-nine white man weighing 175 pounds with a thin build, hazel eyes, short brown hair and clean-shaven.

He was last seen wearing a blue hoodie and blue jeans and carrying a black cross-body bag.

Khatra said they have received information that the vehicle was last seen in the Niagara-Fort Erie area.

In a post on social media, Niagara police urged residents near the areas of Prospect Point and Ridgeway Road to shelter in place, as the suspect may be in the vicinity. They asked residents to lock their windows and doors.

“Given what’s happened here, we obviously know there was a firearm involved; somebody’s been killed, so they’re just doing that out of an abundance of caution to make sure that there are no further incidents,” Khatra said.

“We believe this to be an isolated incident at this point.”

Khatra said investigators believe the shooting was an intimate partner-related incident.

“However, it’s still early; we’re looking at all different avenues and trying to figure out what exactly transpired, but most importantly, right now we’re trying to find the suspect,” Khatra said.

According to police, Deschepper was charged with firearm-related offences in 2023 after a gun was fired at a Brampton residence. No one was injured in that incident