Police have identified the victim in a tragic domestic incident in Calgary’s northeast that left a woman dead and her daughter in hospital. Her common-law husband has been charged in the murder, which police believe was the result of an “ongoing argument.”
Hue Ngoc Nguyen, 41, was found dead inside a home after police were called to the 6900 block of Rundlehorn Drive N.E. at around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday for reports of gunfire. Her 15-year-old daughter was being treated for a gunshot wound in hospital as of Wednesday afternoon.
“She’s doing remarkably well, from what I can tell since the incident,” Inspector Don Coleman from the CPS Major Crime Section said.
“She’s a very courageous young lady.”
Shortly after the women were found, officers spotted the victim’s husband in a vehicle in the 4000 block of Whitehorn Drive N.E.
Calgary police responded to multiple calls of shots being fired at a residence in the 6900 block of Rundlehorn Drive N.E. on Tuesday, May 24, 2016.
Police said he fired at least one shot from his vehicle before pulling over. An 11-year-old girl and a three-year-old boy were discovered inside the man’s vehicle. Both were uninjured and taken into police custody.
Hien Tuan Lam of Calgary, 43, was charged with first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Lam is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
Police said Wednesday he was the common-law partner of Nguyen for “an extended period of time” and the father of the three children involved in the incident.
Coleman said Lam was known to police, and was prohibited from possessing firearms. Coleman didn’t know how the suspect obtained the gun used in the incident.
Coleman said it appeared both Nguyen and the 15-year-old girl were targeted as a result of “a prolonged argument which ultimately led to a physical confrontation” which ended in the gunshots.
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He said a social services response team is assessing the situation and will remain with the family until a decision is made.
“There’s no reported record of police involvement in that house, although we do believe there was some domestic history – it had gone unreported,” Coleman said.
READ MORE: Calgary police expect high domestic violence levels in 2016 amid economic downturn
Police couldn’t speak to the specific financial situation of the family, but Coleman said he believed Lam was unemployed.
Staff Sgt. Rob Davidson from the Domestic Conflict Unit attended a press conference on the incident Wednesday, and cited a study that found a significant correlation between the unemployment rate and domestic violence rate.
“I do want to stress that unemployment is not a cause of domestic violence, but it is a stressor,” Davidson said.
“So those families that are already prone to violence, when you add in that complexity or that layer of unemployment and stresses in finances, that appears to correlate significantly to increased domestic violence.”
The Calgary Domestic Violence Collective (CDVC) released a statement in response to the incident Tuesday, saying there are numerous agencies in Calgary available 24 hours a day that provide support.
The group offered the below list.
If you are experiencing or have questions about domestic abuse, you can call: 403-234-7233 (SAFE)
If you are experiencing or have questions about sexual abuse and sexual assault, you can call: 403-237-5888
For additional support, you can call:
Distress Centre 403-266-HELP (4357)
Calgary Counselling Centre 403-691-5991
Family Violence Information Line 310-1818 (toll free)
Peer Support Services for Abused Women 403-234-PEER (7337)
With files from Global’s Melissa Ramsay
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