1 woman dead in targeted incident in Strathcona Park: Calgary police

Calgary police say one woman was pronounced dead after being found with apparent stab wounds in what they believe was a targeted incident in Strathcona Park.

Police said officers responded to reports at around 7:40 a.m. of an incident outside an elementary school in the 300 block of Strathcona Drive Southwest.

Duty Insp. Scott Nielson said officers arrived to find a severely injured woman outside the school.

“Despite the efforts of officers on scene who performed lifesaving measures, the woman was declared deceased in what is believed to be a targeted incident,” Nielson said.

There was a heavy police presence surrounding a school in the area of Strathcona Boulevard and Strathcona Drive S.W. An elementary school and a preschool were put under a precautionary lockdown.

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Several police, EMS and fire vehicles could be seen in the area just after 8 a.m. Tuesday.

In a mid-day news release, the Calgary Police Service said they believe the incident was domestic in nature and will not be releasing the identity of the deceased woman, even after the completion of the autopsy, to protect the privacy of the family.

“Just before noon, police located the suspect deceased nearby,” Nielson said.

“We can tell you that the offender in this incident has been previously charged and had been released by the courts on a no contact order. I can also tell you that there were active warrants on the system for the individual.”

Global News has confirmed the identity of the suspect as Kerry Girling, a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.

Court documents show Girling was charged with sexual assault in July 2023 and was due to appear in court on Feb. 6 to face the assault charge and for failing to comply with two release orders dated September and November 2023.

Investigators remained on the scene into the afternoon, speaking with witnesses and gathering evidence.

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“This very much remains an active investigation with many moving parts,” the duty inspector said. “As our members continue to work to piece together the circumstances that led to this tragic event, our focus remains on the well-being and safety of those directly involved and impacted.”

CPS said there was no risk to the public after issuing a warning on social media to ask the public to avoid the area earlier in the morning. Police also were looking to locate a white Honda SUV they believed was connected to the incident, but later confirmed they had found the vehicle.

Calgary Catholic School District, which operates the John Costello Catholic School in Strathcona Park, said the school was closed, and all students and staff were safe, following an “isolated incident” that saw CPS at the school. Classes are expected to resume on Wednesday.

“The Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) is praying for all those involved in a critical incident that happened this morning prior to the start of classes, outside of John Costello Catholic School,” CCSD said in a statement.

Nielsen said there was no indication that any children at the school witnessed the incident, but police have taken witness statements from adults.

2:17 Calgary Police investigating a homicide in Strathcona Park

One parent said the preschool was “great” about communicating what was happening to parents.

“They said that the kids are safe…, that they’re going to lock everything down just so that we know further information, that we can pick up our kids if we want to, but they’re just going to keep them inside today,” Stacey Kodellas told Global News.

“I came to pick (my daughter) up early. It just felt safer having her home.”

CPS said their Victim Assistance Support Team would be available in the area to help anyone who may had been impacted by the “very traumatic” incident.

“It’s terrible, really,” Nielson said.

“Here we have a situation where people have done everything right. They’ve engaged the police. We’ve engage them with services support, court support, safety planning and the whole nine yards. To have something like this happen in front of a school, obviously, is horrible.

“So we want to make sure that we look after everybody who was even slightly affected by this, for sure.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips can also be provided to Crime Stoppers.