DELIBERATE EXPLOSION
Suspect killed himself: police
The explosion that rocked a community centre parkade in Sherwood Park last week originated underneath a half-ton truck and damaged nine cars parked in the same row, causing a second vehicle’s gas tank to explode two stalls away, police said Saturday.
Speaking to media at the Sherwood Park detachment on Saturday morning, RCMP Supt. Dave Kalist also said, for the first time, that “more than five” registered firearms — including hunting rifles, shotguns and handguns — were discovered in a vehicle belonging to Kane Kosolowsky, the deceased suspect.
They also confirmed Kosolowsky died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police have not determined the material used to cause the first explosion, which they say Kosolowsky set purposefully, or how it was ignited. Nor have they found a motive, despite interviewing friends, family and coworkers and trawling through electronic devices found at the man’s home.
Kalist said forensic analysis of the debris could take weeks.
Police have not determined any motives for the crime.
“At this time, we do not have any specific motive as to why Kosolowsky caused the explosion, or what his intentions were with the firearms in his possession,” said Kalist.
“While we may never know the true motives of Kane Kosolowsky, I would personally like to thank the family for their continued cooperation in what must be a devastating time.”
Kalist said police are not seeking any additional suspects. They do not know whether Kosolowsky had a specific target.
While Mounties have not identified any motive for the attack, the RCMP major crimes unit is leading the investigation, rather than the force’s integrated national security enforcement team.
RCMP K Division spokesman Fraser Logan said last week the major crimes unit is handling the investigation because “there is no indication that this incident is related to any group or ideology.”
Emergency responders believe they were initially dealing with a fire when they were called to the Strathcona County Community Centre after 6 p.m. Tuesday.
People were evacuated from other buildings in the city ’s centre as RCMP with long guns scoured the area.
The next afternoon, RCMP confirmed they were dealing with what they believed was a deliberately set explosion.
In a statement issued through the RCMP Thursday, members of Kosolowsky’s family said they were shocked and devastated by what happened, and that the events were out of character.
A court record search showed Kosolowsky has no criminal record in Edmonton. Pictures of Kosolowsky on his Facebook and Instagram suggest he liked cars and working out at the gym. Also included is a 2015 graduation photo in which he holds a diploma from Bev Facey Community High School.
Police asked members of the public not to speculate about what happened, despite what some saw as unnecessary delays in the official response.
Kalist defended the RCMP’s communications timeline, saying that even as recently as Friday, they were dealing with an active crime scene and working to confirm there were no additional explosive devices.
“We simply did not want to put out information we could not confirm. We were not able to even go into the investigative forensic examination phase until yesterday afternoon,” he said Saturday.
Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank said Saturday that there are still more than 100 vehicles stuck in the parkade and that getting them back to their owners will be a challenge.
RCMP have returned control of the Community Centre parkade to Strathcona County, but the county still needs to carry out environmental and structural assessments inside the building, including “an indoor contamination assessment of the parkade and vehicles to properly understand any health risks as a result of the explosion,” Frank said.
The earliest they expect results from the environmental testing is Tuesday.
“The results from these assessments will inform our next steps,” Frank said.
Frank’s statement did not identify specific potential health risks but said they noted “residue” on surfaces in the parkade.
“I was pleased to see the damage was not more extensive; however, we did see residue on most surfaces, and that is our present concern,” he said.
In the meantime, he said vehicle owners should contact their insurance company to determine the extent of their coverage and anything they must do when their vehicle is returned.
At this time, we do not have any specific motive as to why Kosolowsky caused the explosion, or what his intentions were with the firearms in his possession.