A 28-year-old man has died of his injuries after he was shot in northeast Edmonton early Thursday morning. Another man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a separate shooting in the same area about an hour earlier.
Police and EMS were called just before 1:30 a.m. to a strip mall near Hermitage Road and 40 Street, where a man was found lying on the ground, suffering from a gunshot wound.
“The member actually started doing some CPR until EMS arrived,” police spokesperson Patrycia Thenu said.
The man was rushed to hospital, but died.
Police have identified the victim as 28-year-old Justin Nicholas Allen. They are releasing his name in the hopes people will come forward to help with the investigation.
An autopsy completed on Friday confirmed he died from gunshot wounds and the cause of death a homicide.
The Edmonton Police Service homicide unit is investigating the death, which is the city’s 19th homicide of the year.
As the sun came up, police expanded the crime scene and blocked off the entire strip mall parking lot, including a large daycare.
Another mom, Whitney Corbett, said she got an email earlier in the morning saying the parking lot was closed but the daycare was still open. By the time she arrived though, that had changed.
“When we got here, we saw it all flagged off, and I was just informed now she’s not able to go to daycare because of the police scene,” Corbett said.
Both moms were left scrambling to find alternative care because of the investigation: Corbett had to get to an 8 a.m. exam at NAIT, and Wanchuk needed to get to work.
“It’s just really frustrating because I have nowhere for my girls to go,” Wanchuk said. “I have to call my boss and see if I can bring them to my school.”
Wanchuk lives in the far west end of the city but brings her two and four-year-old girls to the northeast side daycare because she says it’s an amazing facility. Thursday’s shooting left her unsettled.
“You don’t want to bring your kids in the area, so yeah, not too exciting, that’s for sure.”
Dad Toison Olynyk said the interruption in the morning routine would make him late for work as well.
“It’s part of being a parent, there’s always something that crops up – whether it’s crime in the neighbourhood or you know, sick kids.”
None of the parents was told anything about the investigation.
The other shooting of the morning took place just after midnight near a Husky gas station just off 66 Street and 132 Avenue.
Police said the victim in that shooting did not suffer serious injuries and will be OK. Officers could be seen interviewing several people nearby.
EPS said the two shootings are not related and no one is in custody in either case.
— With files from Emily Mertz
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