Investigators and the families of two young men killed in a targeted shooting in December 2020 are looking for the “final piece of the puzzle” in order to lay charges.
On the evening of Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, Cody Akoar and Kuanyliet Kogalt, both 20, were shot and killed while inside a parked car in the 1000 block of Marcombe Drive N.E.
Calgary police located their bodies at around 9:20 a.m. the next day, following reports of a suspicious vehicle that had been left running.
Police said the bodies had been in the car for around 12 hours before being discovered by officers.
Autopsies later confirmed both men died as a result of gunshot wounds and confirmed their identities.
Investigators have reviewed hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from the area and identified potential suspects. Police believe Akoar and Kogalt were targeted by individuals known to them, but the motive remains under investigation.
“We are looking for the final piece of the puzzle to be able to lay charges in this case. Our investigators have worked tirelessly since December 2020 to bring the investigation this far, and we need people in the community to come forward so that we can bring closure to Cody and Kuanyliet’s families,” Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta said in a statement.
“That last little bit of information is all we need, and we know that someone out there has it.”
The Akoar and Kogalt families also released statements urging anyone with information to come forward.
“We as a family are desperately seeking the only form of closure possible to begin to heal. Cody’s death was not an accident, it was an intentional act of cruelty and we struggle to sleep knowing somewhere, the person responsible for taking two lives, is carrying out their life without consequence. We are closing in on two years since their death and we have not found answers.”
“The past year and a half has been by far the hardest time of our lives, as we all know losing a loved one is not something you prepare for, nor is it easy,” the Kogalt family said in a statement. “Both families haven’t been able to find peace since. We urge anyone that knows anything to speak up. Nothing pains us more than knowing the person who did this is walking around freely, speaking on what he’s done and mocking both families via social media, and yet no arrest has been made.”
Schiavetta told reporters CPS is “very close” to laying charges.
“We know that there are people in the community who have information, who may know who was with our victims the night they died,” he told reporters.
“We also know that the suspects are using social media to brag about their offenses, which we’re also capturing. And people may have more information regarding that context.
“They know that they’re suspects in this homicide, and we need that final piece of evidence from the community to hold them accountable,” Schiavetta said.
Anyone with information about the December 2020 shooting is asked to call police at 403-428-8877 or 403-266-1234. Tips can also be anonymously submitted to Crime Stoppers.