A 41-year-old father and his 11-year-old son were shot on the premises of an Edmonton gas station on Thursday in what police described as a “targeted crime.”
The murders were committed around midday in the parking lot of a small shopping complex south of the capital of Alberta that included a Petro-Canada gas station and an A&W restaurant.
Rescue workers could do nothing to save the father and son, who were pronounced dead at the scene.
Large police presence at a gas station at Ellerslie RD and 52 St SW. An ambulance remains on scene and we can see a ceiling with what looks like a body on the ground. Edmonton police are calling this a serious targeted incident. #yeg @GlobalEdmonton pic.twitter.com/UOZ3KEymau
— Sarah Komadina (@SKomadinaGlobal) November 9, 2023
Investigators determined that the victims were not chosen at random, but police did not say what led them to that conclusion.
Shortly after the tragedy, police found a charred vehicle on the road in a rural area outside Edmonton. Investigators were trying to determine whether there was a connection between this vehicle and the two murders.
“We are saddened to report that a child has lost his life as a result of this violent event. The death or injury caused to a child by gunfire is incomprehensible,” said Sergeant Rob Bilawey of the Edmonton Police Homicide Unit, urging possible witnesses to contact police.