'Sheer luck': Bullets in north Edmonton shooting narrowly missed sleeping children: police

Police are asking the public for help in identifying two males involved in a shooting in north Edmonton last month.

On Dec. 7 around 11:30 p.m., the two males approached the home in a residential complex in the area of 148 Avenue and 89 Street.

One person went to the front of the house and the other to the back.

They both shot at the home, police say, aiming at bedroom windows.

The residence is home to a mother and her three daughters, none of whom are known to police.

No one was injured, but police say bullets narrowly missed the children, who were asleep in their beds.

"Just by sheer luck and near misses, nobody was struck inside that residence. If we were talking a few inches here or there, we’d be talking about a different story today, and more of a tragic story," Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart told reporters on Tuesday, adding the family has been traumatized by the event.

"It caused her so much concern that she decided to leave Edmonton and leave the province."

Investigators believe the shooting was organized, but don't know why the family was targeted.

"We can’t say whether they got the wrong residence, or if they thought someone else used to live at that residence. We don’t have that information right now. We know from our investigation, and we truly believe, the individuals in that house weren’t the intended targets."

Police have released surveillance photos and video of the male who shot at the back of the house in hopes of identifying him. 

Police have released surveillance video and photos an SUV believed to be connected to a shooting in north Edmonton in December 2022. (Credit: Edmonton Police Service)

A dark coloured SUV believed to be a Honda CRV is also believed to be involved in the incident.

'GUN VIOLENCE PROBLEM IN EDMONTON'

Stewart says police saw an increase of about 10 per cent in shooting events from 2021 to 2022, and there have already been 19 reported shootings in Edmonton in 2023 compared to 11 in January 2022.

"There’s no secret that we have a gun violence problem here in Edmonton," he said.

He says only about 10 to 15 per cent of Edmonton's shootings are related to organized crime, making it hard to predict where or when they'll happen.

"The other 85, 90 per cent, it has to do with drug-related issues, personal animosity among groups. There’s other issues that come up, domestic violence."

Anyone with information about the males involved in the shooting in December or the SUV is asked to call Edmonton police at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.