Update: On Wednesday, April 11, police laid additional charges against 20-year-old Cashton Cole L’Hirondelle. This story has been updated to reflect the new charges.
Five people — including three youths — have been charged with more than 100 offences after an innocent bystander was shot during a violent overnight crime spree in Edmonton last week.
A 38-year-old man was shot and seriously injured during an ordeal last Tuesday night that involved a home invasion, kidnapping and police chase.
READ MORE: Innocent man ‘probably won’t survive’ after being shot in violent Edmonton crime spree, police say
The charges announced on Thursday include kidnapping with a firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unauthorized possession of a firearm and ammunition in a motor vehicle.
On March 27 at around 4:15 p.m., police were called about a possible home invasion and kidnapping at a home in the area of 106 Avenue and 123 Street. Two men were reportedly abducted at gunpoint, assaulted and robbed by a group of people. The two were able to escape with minor injuries, police said.
At around 10:30 p.m., officers spotted a vehicle that was suspected to have been involved in the kidnapping. Police said the vehicle then met with another vehicle that was later found to have been stolen from Fort Saskatchewan.
While on Manning Drive, north of 153 Avenue, one of the stolen vehicles cut off a third vehicle, according to police.
Both stolen vehicles continued speeding north on Manning to the intersection at 18 Street. The driver who was cut off stopped and was going to turn left when he was shot. He lost control of his vehicle and veered into the ditch.
Watch below: Dramatic video of a suspect vehicle taken down by their Air 1 helicopter at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. The video, edited by police, shows one of the suspect vehicles driving south on Highway 28A outside Edmonton after going over a spike belt.
At the time, Staff Sgt. Bill Clark said police didn’t expect that man to survive. Homicide detectives were called in to investigate.
On April 11, police said the man remains in hospital with serious injuries. Homicide detectives continue to investigate and anticipate laying further charges within the week, an Edmonton Police Service spokesperson said.
READ MORE: Shooting victim during Edmonton crime spree in stable condition, police say
Cashton Cole L’Hirondelle, 20, and Patrick Courterielle Boyd, 22, are both facing over 40 charges each which include:
- Two counts of kidnapping with a firearm
- Seven counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose
- Six counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm and ammunition in a motor vehicle
- Four counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm
On April 11, police said L’Hirondelle was charged with four additional charges: aggravated assault, discharging a firearm with intent, discharging a firearm recklessly and using a firearm while committing an offence. L’Hirondelle is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, April 12 at 9 a.m.
Three youths – two females and one male – have also been charged with a number of firearm offences, which include possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of a prohibited weapon with ammunition.
The three youths cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, as they are all under the age of 18.
Watch below: Staff Sgt. Bill Clark describes the dangerous, violent crime spree in Edmonton