In what authorities have characterised as a “sick and twisted” escalation of gang warfare in the city of Edmonton, a Sikh man of Indian descent who was regarded as a “higher-level figure” in Canada’s organised crimine scene and his 11-year-old son were shot and killed.
Acting superintendent Colin Derksen of the Edmonton Police Service informed the media on Friday that Harpreet Singh Uppal, 41, and his son were shot and killed outside a petrol station on Thursday afternoon, in a shameful incident.
The boy’s little companion, who was in Uppal’s vehicle at the moment, escaped unharmed.
According to Derksen, when the gunman or gunmen started pursuing Uppal, they did not know if they were aware that children were inside the vehicle.
“But what we do know, sadly, is that once the shooter or the shooters learned that the son was there, they intentionally shot and killed him,” the Edmonton Journal quoted Derksen as saying.
He claimed that although murdering kids used to be a “line in the sand” that gang members would not cross, times are changing.
“That is sick and twisted,” Derksen said. “I think most gang members would agree.”
The boy’s identity has not been disclosed by the police pending an autopsy.
A stolen 2012 BMW X6 was discovered on fire north of Beaumont, according to Derksen. There was no one inside the car, and the fire did not appear to have caused any injuries.
Police have not made any arrests or identified any suspects as of Friday morning.
According to the report, Derksen identified Uppal as a “higher-level figure” in Edmonton’s organized crime scene but would not specify which organisations he belonged to.
Uppal was charged with both unlawful possession of body armour and cocaine possession and trafficking. A trial was scheduled to begin in April 2024, according to CBC News.
In connection with a case from March 2021, he was further accused with assault with a weapon and unlawful possession of a handgun. According to it, the Crown halted those procedures in February.
Derksen also declined to comment on whether authorities thought the shooting was reprisal for past acts of violence or if they anticipated reprisals for Uppal’s death.