New development to the murder of an 11 year old girl in Brampton. Peel police say her father, who was charged with first degree murder, is in hospital due to a “self-inflicted gunshot wound”. Roopesh Rajkumar was arrested by OPP near Orillia last week. Peel police say when they arrived to take Rajkumar into custody they realized something was wrong and he was taken to a trauma centre. As a result of his injuries the SIU was contacted and have determined that they will not be invoking their mandate. Police would not tell us any other details about his injuries. They are also not releasing information on Riya Rajkumar’s cause of death. The investigation began on Thursday when Riya was supposed to be returned to her mother’s custody after celebrating her 11th birthday with her father.
Police say the mother contacted them because Roopesh allegedly made comments indicating he was going to harm himself and his daughter. Riya was found dead in the basement of Rajkumar’s home in Brampton. The father’s court appearance scheduled for Tuesday will depend on his medical condition. He remains in hospital in the custody of Ontario correctional services. Last night in Mississauga nearly 300 people gathered in a park across from the school where Riya was enrolled in grade 5. A candlelight vigil was held to honour the little girl. Some of her classmates described Riya as a happy girl with a bubbly personality. The city of Brampton is also planning to hold a vigil for Riya on Tuesday. A memorial page says her funeral is planned for Wednesday.
Neighborhood watch Brampton has been raising money to cover the costs. It is unclear if the funeral will be open to the public.