Brampton man charged in 11-year-old daughter's death shot himself before arrest: police

A man charged with first-degree murder in the death of his 11-year-old daughter last week is in hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Peel Regional Police. 

Roopesh Rajkumar, 41, was arrested at about midnight on Thursday, around the same time that officers discovered the body of his daughter, Riya Rajkumar, in his basement apartment in Brampton, Ont. Riya had been the subject an Amber Alert issued just an hour earlier. 

Provincial police found Rajkumar driving north on Highway 11 near Orillia, about 130 kilometres north of Brampton, in a silver Honda Civic.

Initially, police only revealed that he was taken to hospital rather than jail, but declined to disclose what led to the decision.

On Saturday afternoon, Peel Regional Police Const. Danny Marttini said that after provincial police transferred him to Peel's custody, officers noticed he was "not acting right" and decided to call paramedics, who transported him to a local hospital. 

It wasn't until then that doctors discovered he was suffering from a gunshot wound. At that point, he was taken to a trauma centre for further treatment. 

"It wasn't an obvious injury," Marttini told CBC Toronto. 

Details of his wound weren't immediately released because investigators were still gathering information, Marttini explained. 

The province's police watchdog was notified of his injury, but decided not to investigate the circumstances surrounding it, she said. 

Police are not releasing further details about Rajkumar's condition, or information about when he may have shot himself. They are also not releasing information on Riya's cause of death.

Police were initially called by Riya's mother after Rajkumar failed to return the young girl home from her birthday celebrations on Thursday evening.​

Rajkumar is currently considered to be in the custody of Ontario Correctional Services, and will have a court appearance once his doctors say he is well enough.

Meanwhile, Riya was remembered by family, friends and community members at a candlelight vigil in a park near her elementary school on Saturday evening. Another vigil organized by a Brampton city councillor is planned for Tuesday between 5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET at Garden Square.

A funeral service for Riya is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Wednesday at Lotus Funeral and Cremation Centre Inc. in Etobicoke.