CALGARY- Holding back tears and bravely facing the media, the grieving parents of the young man suspected in a horrific stabbing spree broke their silence on Thursday afternoon.
Their son, 22-year-old Matthew de Grood, faces five first-degree murder charges, following the deaths of five young university students in a northwest Calgary home.
His father, Douglas de Grood, is a long time Calgary police officer. Supported by his wife, Susan, he was extremely emotional as he explained what his family has been dealing with over the past few days.
“I’m here not as a police officer, but as a parent and a husband,” he began. “We are shocked and devastated and we are trying to make sense of what happened. We are deeply saddened for what the families and friends of the victims are going through.
“Your lives have been turned upside down.”
Reiterating what he asked Police Chief Rick Hanson to pass along on Tuesday, de Grood apologized to those affected.
“We know words cannot begin to ease your pain and suffering. Please accept our deepest condolences and know you are in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers.”
He also thanked emergency crews who rushed to the scene.
“Our condolences also go out to the first responders who attended the scene. You had to detach from your emotions to do your job. Your professionalism was exceptional.”
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EXTENDED: Watch the full family statement delivered to the media
De Grood says that growing up, his son received great grades in school and was involved in a variety of sports. He helped raise money for charity through his passion for running, and had “a bright future ahead of him.”
He had recently been accepted to law school.
READ MORE: ‘Nobody commits a crime like this for no reason’: experts, on stabbing spree
“Like any parent can tell you, your love for your child is unconditional, and we love Matthew dearly. Our Matthew is a great kid, full of love, kindness and respect for others.
“We struggle to understand what happened,” de Grood continued, before breaking down. “We have received an outpouring of support from our extended families…and even people we’ve never met. We thank each one of you for your support.
“We will never recover from this, but the collective support has helped ease some of the pain.”
He finished by saying he hopes that one day, there will be answers as to why the tragedy happened.
“It won’t bring the victims back, but we would give anything to do just that.”
Matthew de Grood is now undergoing a psychiatric assessment, ahead of his next court appearance.
WATCH: After the de Grood family read a family statement to the media, their lawyer Allan Fay fielded questions about Matthew
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