Winnipeg drive-by shooting connected with extortion, shootings in Alberta: Edmonton police
CBC
A drive-by shooting in northwest Winnipeg last Christmas Eve is connected with a rash of extortion incidents and two other shootings targeting home builders in the Edmonton area, according to police in that city.
Canada-wide warrants have been issued for a man wanted in the Dec. 24, 2023, shooting in Winnipeg and two others in Alberta, Edmonton Police Service Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart said during a media conference on Tuesday.
"They're purposely targeting master bedrooms where people are occupied, sleeping.… Kids are in these residences," Stewart said during an update on what police have dubbed Project Gaslight — a probe into incidents targeting South Asian home builders in Edmonton.
"They don't know who's inside these residences when they start firing rounds at these houses. Very scary, very brazen and very careless."
Police allege the shootings have been carried out by a group in Edmonton who are being directed by someone in India.
"There is an individual orchestrating and directing young men in our city to carry out these acts," Stewart said.
"And what I can say is that, in my opinion, they're being exploited to carry out these acts and someone who is not in this country is benefiting from that."
Surveillance video captured on Dec. 24 appears to show the shooting in Winnipeg.
At around 8:45 p.m, a black SUV is seen approaching a home in the city's northwest, and eight shots can be heard in the video before the SUV drives away.
Edmonton police said the home was occupied by several family members. No one was injured, but one bullet narrowly missed a person inside and passed through a wall into an adjacent room, Edmonton police say.
Officers in Edmonton said the black SUV had no front licence plate, and they're looking for more information about the vehicle.
They say the shooting was in the area of Winnipeg's Meadows West and Maples neighbourhoods, but declined to provide a more exact location.
WATCH | Police release surveillance footage of Winnipeg shooting:
Winnipeg police referred all requests for comment to police in Edmonton. Officers in Winnipeg have not responded to a question from CBC about why they did not previously notify the public about the drive-by shooting in Winnipeg.
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