Ballistics confirm link between Pizza Hut, Edmonton police shootings
Edmonton Police Service investigators believe the 16-year-old boy who fatally shot two EPS officers is the same person who shot a Pizza Hut employee.
Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan were shot when they attended a family dispute call at the Baywood Park apartment complex at 132 Street and 114 Avenue just after midnight on March 16.
The 16-year-old boy who shot the officers then shot his mother multiple times in a struggle over the firearm, before killing himself, EPS said, adding no other person fired a gun during the event.
The teen's mother is currently in hospital in serious, but stable condition.
On March 12, a Pizza Hut employee was shot while working at the restaurant at 133 Street and 114 Avenue, just one block from the apartment complex.
Security video from the attack shows the shooter entering the restaurant and waving a long-barrel gun, before shooting the employee.
He remains in hospital in critical, but stable condition.
Investigators now say the shooter escaped from the restaurant and ran toward the complex, which is made up of over a dozen buildings, but police were not able to locate him.
"There’s literally 700 residences, and there's a lot of buildings that are right there, so nothing actually was tracked to that building at all," Deputy Chief Devin Laforce told reporters at a news conference on Thursday afternoon.
'THE SAME GUN'
Police say a bullet found at that shooting scene has been forensically matched to a firearm that was found at the apartment where the two officers were shot.
"Investigators believe the suspect in the March 12 shooting to be the same male responsible for the deaths of the two EPS members on March 16," Laforce said.
"The same gun was used in both events, and at this time we don’t have any information that links the gun to any other crimes."
Police are still trying to determine how the teen came to be in possession of the gun, and say that's part of the reason they have not made his identity public.
"How did a 16-year-old obtain this gun? Working backwards, whoever he got that gun from probably faces some criminal jeopardy, and we’re working backwards to try and figure out what that looks like," Laforce said.
Investigators say there was no information to suggest the teen's parents, police dispatch, or Contables Ryan or Jordan knew there was a firearm in the home when the two officers responded to the call.
MOTHER COOPERATING
The teen's parents, including his father, who was also in the apartment at the time of the shooting, are cooperating with the investigation, Laforce said, adding his mother is not yet able to speak.
"She can't talk, so right now the communication has been by written communication. Obviously we want to continue to interview her, and that’s going to happen when she’s released. She’s expected to recover."
Autopsy results released on Thursday concluded the teen died from a single gunshot wound to the head, which was called consistent with being self-inflicted.
Investigators say it will take more time to receive toxicology reports on the teen, so it's too early to know if he had any substances in his system at the time of the shootings.
Police also confirmed Thursday that the teen had been taken into custody under the Mental Health Act after a call to the apartment in November 2022.
"We can now share that this youth was apprehended under the Mental Health Act by our officers, and that was after consultation with our PACT, our Police and Crisis Teams," said Supt. Shane Perka. "The youth was then transported to the hospital for assessment. I can’t speak any further as to the outcome of that assessment."
Perka added police have yet to obtain full details about the teen's medical history.
Investigators are also in the process of investigating the teen's electronic devices, which they believe might shed light on a motive for the shootings.
"There's other exhibit items, such as our shooter’s phone and a computer that we're actively searching and trying to get into, and as we learn more we'll have some answers we hope."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The best that we can be': Indigenous judge and TRC chair Murray Sinclair dies at 73
Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.
India's Modi, Canada's Trudeau condemn violence at Hindu temple near Toronto
The prime ministers of India and Canada condemned violence that broke out on Sunday at a Hindu temple near Toronto at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes about a year ago. Here's how her condition was reversed
A year ago, Lorraine O'Quinn was coping with stress, chronic illness and Type 2 diabetes. Then she discovered a health program that she says changed her life.
Frustration over Mideast war in America's largest Arab-majority city may push some away from Democrats
As an ongoing part of Omar on the Road: America Decides 2024, CTV National News visited the University of Michigan-Dearborn campus to talk to Arab-American students about why they’re feeling left out of the Democrats’ tent.
3 people arrested after incident during protest at Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont.: Peel police
Peel Regional Police say three people are in custody as they continue to investigate an incident during a demonstration at a Hindu temple in Brampton on Sunday.
Judge rules against Alberta casino, dinner theatre operator
An application to stay a receivership order of Mayfield Investments Ltd., a company that owns multiple businesses in Alberta including the Camrose Resort and Casino, Medicine Hat Lodge and Calgary's Stage West Dinner Theatre, has been denied by the court.
'Giving women agency over their health': How innovative solutions are filling the gaps in Canadian menopause care
In a 2022 survey conducted by Leger Canada for the Menopause Foundation of Canada, about 46 per cent of women said they don't feel prepared for menopause, even though they know it's coming. At a time when tech-savvy millennials are starting their menopausal journeys, some tech entrepreneurs are stepping up with potential solutions to long-standing health-care deficiencies.
Ikea will pay 6 million euros to East German prisoners forced to build their furniture in landmark move
Furniture giant Ikea has agreed to pay 6 million euros (US$6.5 million) towards a government fund compensating victims of forced labour under Germany's communist dictatorship, in a move campaigners hope will pressure other companies to follow.
Police arrest Netanyahu aide as opponents accuse him of leaking intelligence to thwart Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal
Israeli police have arrested a top aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegedly leaking classified information to foreign media.