A 41-year-old father and his 11-year-old son were shot dead Thursday on the grounds of an Edmonton gas station in a crime that police describe as “targeted.”
The murders were committed around noon in the parking lot of a small shopping complex including a Petro-Canada gas station and an A&W restaurant, in the south of the Alberta capital.
Emergency services were unable to do anything to save the father and his son, who were pronounced dead on the spot.
Investigators determined the victims were not chosen at random, but police have not said 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 establish whether there is a link 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 inflicted on a child by gunfire is incomprehensible,” said Sergeant Rob Bilawey of the Edmonton police homicide section, calling on possible witnesses to come forward to the police.