What began as a tense lockdown of homes and schools ended with the grim confirmation that 42-year-old **Mark Pero** had been killed in what police are calling a targeted act of violence. The Niagara Regional Police Service first responded to reports of a weapons complaint in **Port Colborne** on
Wednesday morning, prompting officers to urge residents in the surrounding area to shelter in place while they searched for an armed suspect. Heavily armed tactical teams and K9 units flooded the neighborhood as schools and businesses went into lockdown, their communities paralyzed by fear and uncertainty.
After several tense hours, police confirmed that the situation had turned deadly — and the case was now being investigated as a **homicide**. Early evidence, detectives said, suggested that the victim and the suspect knew each other, though the nature of their relationship has not yet been made public.
By late afternoon, the suspect — identified as **27-year-old Brady Neff** — was located and taken into custody without further incident following an extensive search. Neff now faces multiple charges, including **second-degree murder** and **domestic-related offenses**, as investigators continue to piece together the events that led to the fatal encounter.
The killing has left the Port Colborne community reeling. Neighbors described the hours-long lockdown as terrifying, with officers moving door to door and residents watching from behind closed blinds. “You never expect something like this to happen so close to home,” one resident said.
Meanwhile, loved ones are mourning the loss of Mark Pero, remembered as a kind-hearted and dependable man who always put family first. As investigators work to determine what sparked the deadly confrontation, the community grieves — struggling to make sense of how an ordinary morning could end in such devastating violence.
