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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.