Murder charges have been laid against an Ontario man in Edmonton’s first homicide of 2023, in which a case of mistaken identity left father Barinder Singh dead and his daughter injured in southeast Edmonton.
The shooting happened Jan. 1. at the Boardwalk Tamarack East and West townhouse complex in the Pollard Meadows neighbourhood of Mill Woods.
“The whole incident comes in my mind every day. How they entered, how we ran,” said Singh’s widow, Jasjeet Kaur.
Police responded to a disturbance around 2:45 a.m., and arrived at the complex on Mill Woods Road East/38 Street and 16 A Avenue to find an injured 50-year-old man and his 21-year-old daughter.
His wife and other daughter were also at home at the time, but not injured.
The family of four was asleep inside their unit when they said the front door was smashed in and bullets began flying.
Barinder Singh was rushed to hospital but didn’t survive.
“We hide tears from each other,” Kaur said, referring to her daughters. “But I know they are sad.”
An autopsy determined Singh died from gunshot wounds and the medical examiner said it was a homicide.
“Daily, we are struggling,” Kaur explained.
“We lost the main breadwinner of the family. He was our support.”
Singh’s daughter was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries after a bullet hit her shoulder, went through her body and out her back, leaving two wounds and three dislocated ribs.
Investigators determined the family were victims of a wrongly targeted shooting.
On Feb. 14, the Edmonton Police Service issued a Canada-wide warrant for the arrest of Tevahn Orr, 31, who police said is from Ontario.
A month later, Hamilton police said they were seeking an assault suspect wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for multiple charges, including the Edmonton homicide.
Investigators said the accused was considered armed and dangerous and was also wanted by the Toronto police.
On Mar. 21, Orr turned himself in to the Hamilton Police Service.
He has since been transported back to Edmonton and is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and discharging a firearm with intent.
Widow Jasjeet Kaur told Global News on Friday she is relieved to hear an arrest has been made.
Shortly after her husband’s death, she called for justice. The family came to Canada from India a few years ago, at first arriving in B.C. before moving to Edmonton and settling into their townhome in Mill Woods.
Kaur said her husband worked long hours at an Indian restaurant in the city’s deep southeast Walker neighbourhood and was a quiet man who thrived on feeding others and making people happy.
He would have turned 51 this month, the family said.
His widow plans to attend the court dates – wanting justice for her husband, and the future her family lost.
“Why did we get a sentence? Why did Barinder get a sentence? Why did he get punished? For what? For nothing.”
— With files from Sarah Ryan, Global News