Mother, child fatally stabbed in southeast Edmonton; suspect shot by police

A mother and 11-year-old child were fatally stabbed on Friday near Crawford Plains School.

A thirteen-year-old boy told CTV News Edmonton he saw "a strange looking man" approach the family and attack them.

"It was really scary," Max Dow said the next day. "That's going to probably be in my head for years and years."

"I just came home and I told my family and my older brother called the police."

A person matching the description of their attacker was shot by police three blocks away, multiple sources first told CTV News Edmonton.

Jenn Camphius and Daniel Sinclair said they saw the shooting from their living room window.

"Right in front of our walkway, there was a police officer with an assault rifle. It all happened so fast," Sinclair said. "I'm just getting worked up talking about it. I can still feel it in my chest.

"It's pretty traumatizing."

A police officer with a gun can be seen from inside a home 46 Street and 12 Avenue in Edmonton. Nearby lies the body of a man, suspected of killing a woman and her child nearby earlier that day, who had been shot by police. (Supplied)Edmonton Police Service confirmed the deaths and police shooting after midnight, saying they were called to Crawford Plains School at 4:52 p.m.

"It was reported to police that an unknown male attacked and stabbed two people before fleeing the area on foot," EPS said in a statement.

"A male matching the description of the suspect was located a short time later by two other responding officers in the area of 46 Street and 12 Avenue. An altercation took place and both officers subsequently discharged their firearms, striking the suspect."

The 35-year-old woman died at the scene. Her child died in hospital.

Family have identified the pair as Carolann Robillard and Sara, who often went by Jayden.

The suspect shot by police was critically injured and remained in hospital as of early Saturday morning.

Investigators on Friday closed the area, as well as a portion of the school's field.

The homicide unit is investigating the mother and child's deaths.

Police said it is "not clear whether the suspect was known to them."

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team will be investigating the police shooting.

A crowd gathered at a vigil at Crawford Plains School in Edmonton for a mother and child killed in Mill Woods on May 6, 2023. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)The couple said they weren't sure what had happened nearby until later that night when people started posting about the killings on social media.

"The rumor mill was what unfortunately ended up being true," Sinclair said. "We just knew what happened here. We didn't want to believe that."

"Our thoughts go out to the families. It's an absolute terrible situation," Camphius added.

A vigil for the victims was held at the Crawford Plains School Saturday afternoon.

People lit candles and tied red ribbons and feathers to the posts of a teepee at the park. Dow brought a large teddy bear for the memorial, and other people laid flowers, pictures and toys down.

Donna Robillard, Carolann's mother, was at the vigil with family and friends.

"It's very hard, because other people I know that lost their kids or their daughter, now I know the pain they're going through," she said.

"Why my daughter, why my granddaughter?" she added.

The family declined to speak about the incident or the investigation, as they are in mourning, but Donna did say that another one of her granddaughters is dealing with trauma from witnessing the attack.

"She's only eight years old, and she's really hurting big time."

 An Edmonton Public Schools representative said a Critical Incident Support Services team will be providing counselling and support at the school on Monday when classes resume.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson