Watch above: Global News has learned one of the people killed in Edmonton’s mass murder was not the intended target of the shooter. Kent Morrison reports.
EDMONTON – A source has confirmed to Global News that 37-year-old Cyndi Duong, one of the victims in Edmonton’s mass murder earlier this week, was not the shooter’s intended target. At this point it’s not known who the intended target was.
In a statement, Duong’s husband, Dave Luu, said:
“I would like to thank my family members and many close friends who have come alongside my family and I to care and support us during this very difficult time. I would also like to thank the many family, friends and colleagues who have commented publicly as to who Cyndi really was.
Cyndi was a faithful and loving wife to me, and a loving mother to our three children, actively involved in every aspect of our lives.
We love and miss her very much,” said Luu.
Duong was found dead in a home in Edmonton’s Haddow neighbourhood shortly before 7 p.m. Monday night.
A family member who stopped by the Haddow home Thursday told Global News they do not know the suspect, who has been identified as 53-year-old Phu Lam. The family member says he doesn’t know why Lam ended up on Duong’s doorstep.
- Arrest made after police issue emergency alert about ‘dangerous man’ in Bible Hill, N.S.
- Grandparent scam: Canadian seniors with landline phones targeted, out about $2.2 million
- 3-year-old Elijah Vue still missing: Man pleads not guilty to child neglect
- Closing arguments presented in Michael Gordon Jackson abduction case
Between Monday evening and early Tuesday morning, eight people were found dead. Lam was found dead inside a Vietnamese restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan, northeast of Edmonton, later Tuesday morning. Police said he died of an “apparent suicide.”
READ MORE: Edmonton mass murder: a timeline of events
Police say the bodies of three middle-aged women, two middle-aged men and two children, a boy and a girl – both under the age of 10, were discovered in a Lakeview home shortly before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. Police tape was still surrounding the home in north Edmonton Thursday morning, as a memorial of flowers, stuffed animals and messages grew.
Anne Nguyen stopped by to pay her respects. While she didn’t know the victims personally, she thought it was important to come and light incense for each victim.
“As the same people from the same community and same country, I pray for their peace,” said Nguyen.
“In Buddhism we pray so their spirit will be in peace with each other. No more fighting. No more violence, especially for those children.”
READ MORE: Mass murder leaves 9 dead including suspected killer in Edmonton, Fort Sask.
EPS spokesperson Scott Pattison has since confirmed the seven people in Lakeview were killed before Duong was shot in Haddow.
Duong, a mother of three, is being remembered as a happy woman with an “infectious smile.”
“She was a very bubbly, sweet girl,” said Lily Le, president of the Edmonton Vietnamese Association.
“She was always smiling. She had this really contagious laugh, actually.”
A memorial page for Duong has been set up on Facebook. The seven other victims in this week’s mass murder have not yet been identified by police.
Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht called the tragedy an “extreme case of domestic violence.”
READ MORE: How holidays, domestic violence services may have impacted Edmonton mass murder
Autopsies are scheduled for Thursday in Edmonton on the victims. The EPS said results were not likely to be made public Thursday.
*NOTE: This article was originally published on Jan. 1. It was updated on Jan. 2 to include statement from Duong’s husband.
Comments