UPDATE: On Thursday, the Edmonton Police Service provided an update on their investigation and said an autopsy has confirmed Pandey died of gunshot wounds and that the burned Jeep Cherokee found near Beaumont is connected to the shooting.
A 21-year-old man who was shot in a drive-by shooting in southeast Edmonton on Monday night has died of his injuries.
Police were called to a report of a shooting in the area of Ellerslie Road and Parsons Road shortly before 7 p.m. Staff Sgt. Bill Clark with the Edmonton Police Service said the man was walking to his car with two other men when he was shot several times.
“As they were walking out to their vehicle, a white Jeep Cherokee pulled up with Northwest Territories (licence) plates on it and multiple shots were fired from that vehicle. That vehicle then fled away,” Clark said.
The man was taken to hospital where he died at around 4 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Police have identified the victim as Jordan Pandey.
A burning vehicle was later discovered near Beaumont, in the area of Highway 21 and Highway 625. Police said the vehicle is believed to have been involved in the drive-by shooting.
“We do know that the vehicle fled in a specific route out towards the Beaumont area, on a range road out there, where it was subsequently set on fire,” Clark explained, adding police are looking for witnesses who may have seen the vehicle after it left the Ellerslie area.
“It was driving erratically, fast, speeding, changing lanes abruptly.”
Clark said the vehicle drove west on Ellerslie Road before heading south on Calgary Trail. It exited onto the 41 Avenue SW overpass and drove east until it stopped at Range Road 244, south of Highway 625.
Police would not say how many people were in the Jeep at the time of the shooting, but Clark said the vehicle was stolen from north Edmonton about a month ago.
“These individuals, some of them are known to us and we do know the type of activities that are involved, in which I’m sure everyone here can surmise from just what’s happened,” he said. “We definitely believe all these suspects live in the Edmonton area.
“There’s obviously a drug connection here and that type of activity… It would seem to me if you’re walking out to your vehicle and someone drives out and shoots you, that somebody is watching you. It wouldn’t take much to surmise that. We’re still looking at the motive.”
Clark said the two men who were with the victim have been “totally unco-operative” with police.
“We have two eyewitnesses who were right there who won’t talk to us, so it is very frustrating for investigators.”
The shooting caused quite the commotion for those who work and visit the area. Jessica Clark was working at a store in the area when the ordeal unfolded on Monday night. She said she heard sirens and knew something wasn’t right.
“I take a peek and I’m like, ‘OK, there’s something going on over there.’ The cops came right away and the ambulance came right away. There were cops searching the parking lot for a good hour and a half,” she said.
“It was very scary to experience that… I’m kind of feeling a little bit on edge.”
An autopsy has been scheduled for Thursday, but police said on Tuesday afternoon that Pandey’s death has been ruled a homicide.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
On Thursday, police released the following map, showing an area in which they are seeking photos and video captured between 5:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Monday that shows a newer model white Jeep Grand Cherokee. Anyone who has footage from the area is asked to contact police.
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