Calgary police have identified the victim of what they believe to be a targeted shooting in a southeast Calgary neighbourhood on Thursday morning.
Following an autopsy, Ashley Aaron Cuthbert Mawdsley, 40, was identified as the victim.
Mawdsley previously faced multiple charges, including possession for the purpose of trafficking, and was arrested in 2006 and 2013.
“This will be Calgary’s 25th homicide of 2022. This homicide remains under active investigation and police are asking the public to come forward with any dashcam footage or information related to this event,” Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta said Friday afternoon.
Around 8:30 a.m. Calgary police were called to the 200 block of Douglas Ridge Circle S.E. for reports of shots fired.
Once there, police found a deceased man. Later in the day, CPS said the shooting is believed to be targeted.
“Certainly (it has) all the hallmarks of organized crime,” Schiavetta said. “We certainly have seen layers of criminal sophistication.”
Just over an hour after officers responded to the southeast community, a burned-out vehicle likely connected to the shooting was also found Thursday morning in Foothills County, police said.
Calgary police later confirmed the 2022 white Ford Expedition that was found about 22 kilometres south of the original incident was indeed connected to the fatal shooting.
Police are now looking for specific security camera or dashcam footage of the Ford Expedition leading up to that fateful morning. The area of interest and precise times include:
- Between 8:30 – 8:40 a.m. — Douglasdale Boulevard S.E. and eastbound 130 Avenue (towards Deerfoot Trail)
- Between 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. — Southbound Deerfoot Trail (Highway 2) travelling towards Highway 552
- Between 8:45 – 9 a.m. — Southbound on Range Road 291 in Foothills County
- Between 8:45 – 9 a.m. — Eastbound on 296 Avenue E to the 6400 block of 296 Avenue E
As mentioned in a Thursday afternoon news release, investigators are also looking for tips from anyone who may have seen a person filling up a container with gas alongside the Ford Expedition.
Police believe the gas was purchased prior to the morning homicide and the gas was used to burn the vehicle found in Foothills County.
No suspects were in custody as of Friday at noon. Schiavetta confirmed police are looking for multiple suspects.
Schiavetta said police were concerned about the location of the shooting – a residential neighbourhood with Mawdsley’s family in the home and neighbours in their homes. He also noted there is an elementary school nearby.
“Anyone within that vicinity could easily have been hit by a stray bullet,” he said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Crime Stoppers website.