A yellow tarp hung over the driver’s side of a red Jeep Cherokee, the scene of what might be Calgary’s 10th murder of the year.
More than two city blocks were cordoned off by police tape and the neighbourhood of Varsity looked on in a state of shock.
A 19-year-old man died from gunshot wounds at hospital after four blasts broke the daytime silence near the intersection of Vandergrift Cr. and Valiant Dr. NW. around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday.
A 17-year-old male was sent to hospital in stable condition.
“We haven’t got a heck of a lot to work with, other than a scene and the two people,” said Calgary Police Service Insp. Keith Pollock, adding the organized crime unit was involved in the investigation and police didn’t know whether it was a random incident or if the victims were targeted.
“Any time you’ve got a homicide investigation, of course, you’ve got a victim who can’t talk to you, so you’re always starting right from the basics.”
An area resident said police raided a Vancouver-based Jamaican gang hangout in Varsity Towers just last year and fear ran rampant in the well-established community.
“It makes you wonder what kind of neighbourhood you live in,” said World War II veteran Paul Bartel, 73, noting he heard four distinctive shots and thought about calling police but figured other’s already had. “I didn’t want to check it out too much. In my experience, when you hear gun shots and you’re not hit, you count your blessings.”
Brigitte Klem, who lives just around the corner from where the Jeep came to rest, said the incident has changed her perspective of the community she’s hoping to raise her young family in.
“It’s a little bit scary for us,” Klem said. “We thought we were safe here. It’s an older community and we’ve never, ever heard of anything like this happening, it doesn’t make us feel that safe anymore.”
