Suspect in Brampton homicide, child abduction killed in officer-involved shooting in Niagara Falls

Police say the suspect connected to the fatal shooting of a woman in Brampton and the abduction of a one-year-old girl has died after an officer-involved shooting in Niagara Falls.

A woman who was accompanying the suspect has also been arrested with charges pending.

Officers say the shooting took place around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday at a gas station near Thorold Stone and Montrose roads. Police and SIU are currently on scene.

This comes after a large-scale manhunt began Tuesday following the shooting and child abduction in Brampton. Police confirmed the two incidents were connected.

An Amber Alert was issued just before 5 p.m., and the child was found safe in the Niagara region. Police identified the suspect as 38-year-old Anthony Deschepper.

Officers with the Peel and Niagara regional police services had reason to believe Deschepper was still in the Niagara region, and were searching for him in the area Tuesday night.

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A shelter-in-place order was temporarily issued for an area of Crystal Beach as new evidence was discovered. Police continued their search throughout the night and into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

At approximately 2:30 a.m., officered located Deschepper in a vehicle at a gas station near Thorold Stone and Montrose roads.

The vehicle involved, different from the Nissan police had been searching for hours earlier, and being driven by a woman — whose relationship to Deschepper remains unclear.

“The woman that was in that car, we don’t know that relation — she is in our custody right now, charges are pending. Right now it would be accessory and abetting,” said Const. Richard Hingley.

Right now it is unclear what exactly took place, but following an interaction with police, Deschepper was pronounced dead at the scene. In a statement, Niagara police described the incident as an “officer-involved shooting.”

The scene has since all but cleared, except for the bullet holes still visible at the gas station.

The Special Investigations Unit has taken over the investigation.

A spokesperson for the SIU told reporters Wednesday morning that a firearm had been recovered from the scene, and a woman was in the vehicle with Deschepper when police tracked him to the gas station. Police confirmed she was in the driver’s seat of the car, and has been arrested with charges pending.

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