Ontario Premier Doug Ford has heaped praise on a homeowner who shot an intruder in Vaughan, suggesting he should have “shot him a couple more times.”
It was just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday when York Regional Police say they responded to reports of a shooting at a home around Carville Woods Circle and Crimson Forest Drive.
Officers said an armed suspect had forced their way into the residence, where a legal gun owner had shot at them. The suspect fled the scene and was later found in hospital.
“Congratulations, I’m glad you shot the guy, teaches the rest of these robbers,” Ford said during an unrelated news conference on Wednesday. “These guys, they need to be shot, as far as I’m concerned.”
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The premier has lamented his perception that crime is rising in Ontario, suggesting it wasn’t the case a decade ago.
“We’ve all lived here our whole lives, did we ever see this 10 years ago? Fifteen years ago? No, we’ve never seen this,” he said in Brockville, Ont., on Monday. “We’ve seen it starting five years ago, it’s running rampant across Ontario and we’re going to put an end to it.”
Ford was first elected premier in June 2018, almost eight years ago. Meanwhile, in Toronto, almost every major crime indicator — including homicide, assault and break and enters — was down last year.
During his news conference on Wednesday, Ford went on to repeat his praise of the homeowner.
“They need to rot in jail for the rest of their lives. Congratulations for shooting this guy. Should have shot him a couple more times as far as I’m concerned,” he said.
Later, he added, “What I’m saying, the vast majority of people are thinking in the province, I can assure you.”
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