WATCH ABOVE: Duty Inspector Quinn Jacques told media on Thursday that police have more questions than answers in an ongoing investigation of multiple shooting at a New Year’s Eve house party.
CALGARY – Police confirm one person was killed and multiple others were injured in a New Year’s Day shooting at a house party in the community of Killarney.
Emergency crews were called to a home in the 1900 block of 36 Street S.W. around 5 a.m. for reports of shots fired.
Responding officers located five people in and around the house with gunshot wounds, while two others later showed up at local hospitals for treatment.
In total, police say seven people were treated for gunshot wounds.
The victims range in age from early 20’s to early 30’s, and are both male and female. Police say some suffered minor injuries while others were more seriously injured.
Friends have identified the victim as 26-year-old Abdullahi Ahmed. His death is the first homicide in Calgary in 2015.
His family spent much of New Year’s Day by his bedside hoping for him to pull through, but he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
At a news conference on Thursday afternoon, police said they didn’t have a motive for the shootings, nor could they say how many suspects investigators were seeking.
However a police spokesman called the shooting a “one-off” and suggested there was no danger to Calgary.
“Incidents like this while they are profound and they cause concern, they still are relatively isolated,” Acting Insp. Quinn Jacques told reporters. “That offence took place because the wrong people congregated in that place.”
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More than 50 people were at the house party and police have questioned about a dozen witnesses who were taken away from the scene on a city transit bus.
Police say they still wish to speak to as many people who were at the party as they can.
“It’s very important because everyone is going to be able to offer a different perspective on what occurred and in order for us to do a comprehensive and complete investigation and we’d like to speak with everyone who was in the area at the time,” said Jacques.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered his condolences to both those involved in the Calgary incident as well as to the families of the eight people gunned down earlier this week in Edmonton.
Abdul Rasham el Kadri, who has lived on the street since 1990, said he was asleep when the incident happened and heard nothing.
He called it a really nice neighbourhood.
“I know almost all my neighbours here and they know me and it’s a beautiful neighbourhood,” said el Kadri.
“I was really surprised when I heard this.”
El Kadri said the street, which is a combination of older homes and freshly built townhouses, has never had a problem with loud parties, crime or violence.
“Never. Never,” he said. “This is the first time something happened like that.”
– With files from The Canadian Press
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