Shooting at auto body shop declared a homicide: police
Gunman opened fire Tuesday morning at CarProof Auto Repair on 105A Avenue
A shooting victim whisked to hospital with a police escort after a gunman opened fire at a downtown auto body shop Tuesday morning died hours later in hospital, becoming the city’s latest homicide case.
Officers, including a canine unit and homicide detectives, were scouring the area for the shooter after responding to the call at CarProof Auto Repair, 9650 105A Ave., around 9:30 a.m.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was called to the scene at 9:22 a.m. and took the 36-year-old man to hospital in critical, lifethreatening condition, said AHS spokesman Kerry Williamson.
Police just after 2 p.m. Tuesday said the man died in hospital and declared the case a homicide.
Emergency crews called to the morning shooting performed CPR on the man just outside one of the garage bay doors, said witnesses of the aftermath. Pools of blood stained the concrete where the victim fell.
A witness who does odd jobs on site for the garage operators said he just can’t comprehend why someone would target the shop staff.
Police spokesman Scott Pattison said investigators understand that the person shot was outside of the business when the attack happened. He urged anyone in the area that may have seen anything to contact police.
City police also confirmed Tuesday afternoon that a fatal Sunday shooting at the southwest Edmonton Royal Gardens Community League Hall is a homicide.
That killing is the city’s 24th of the year and Tuesday’s shooting is the 25th.
The 37-year-old victim of Sunday’s shooting was taken to hospital by friends around 3:30 a.m. Sunday after violence erupted at the rented hall. The victim was pronounced dead in hospital.
Autopsy results released Tuesday showed that he had died from a gunshot wound. Police named the victim as Dany Mudingila Mutombo.
Police continue to search for suspects in that case.
“We don’t have a lot of leads on this one so we are really looking for people to come forward with information,” Pattison said Tuesday afternoon.
Police are looking for anyone who might have attended or known someone who attended the function, knows the deceased or was in the area and who may have witnessed anything suspicious, he said.
“Obviously it’s a serious situation, it’s a homicide and someone has lost their life,” he said.
Pattison said it was too early in the investigation to say if either shooting was a targeted attack or random in nature.