Nine people, including two children, have been found dead at three crime scenes in Edmonton, Alberta, and nearby Fort Saskatchewan, police said Tuesday in a press conference.
Edmonton Police Chief Ron Knecht said the suspect was found dead Tuesday morning inside a restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan. It appeared he shot himself, the chief said.
“This series of events are not believed to be random acts and there is no risk to the broader public,” he said. “These events do not appear to be gang related but rather tragic incidents of domestic violence.”
Police said the first killing they found out about occurred at a residence in southwest Edmonton. Police went to the residence about 7 p.m. Monday after receiving a weapons complaint and found a dead woman inside, Knecht said.
About 8:30 p.m. Monday, police received a call asking them to check on a man at a house in north Edmonton, Knecht said. The family said the man appeared to be depressed, overly emotional and possibly suicidal, Knecht said.
Police didn’t receive a response when they went to the house and noticed nothing suspicious, the chief said.
Around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, police received more information and returned to the house in north Edmonton, where they found seven people dead: three adult women, two adult males, a male child and a female child, Knecht said.
Knecht said police were told at 2:20 a.m. Tuesday that a black SUV connected to the first killing had been seen near a restaurant in Fort Saskatchewan, about 20 miles from Edmonton, in the western Canada province of Alberta.
Police surrounded the business and determined at 8:45 a.m. that a man inside the restaurant was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Knecht said.
Police said he is the man whose family had been worried about his welfare the night before.
“We are not looking for other suspects,” Knecht said.
Knecht didn’t explain the relationships among the people or identify them.
