 A man’s body lies next to a red SUV near 379 Saddleback Rd. Saturday afternoon. Neighbours reported hearing a shot. (CODIE MCLACHLAN/QMI Agency) |
EDMONTON - One man is dead after neighbours at a southside apartment building heard a gun shot in the parking lot shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday.
A 24-year-old man identified by residents as a known drug dealer is believed to be the victim.
He allegedly made his deals in the area near 379 Saddleback Rd., where the shooting occurred.
“He’s a known drug dealer,” said neighbour Mario Gomes. “Two black guys roughed him up and then shot at him. They shot him in the head.”
Edmonton police late Saturday confirmed the incident is a homicide but won’t comment on whether or not arrests have been made.
It’s believed to be Edmonton’s 18th homicide of the year. There were 17 homicides around this time last year.
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A red tarp covered a man’s bloody, dead body next to a red Escalade ESV. Forensic officers quickly covered the body with a tent when it began to rain shortly before 6 p.m.
Tea, a witness who didn’t want her last name published, said she watched “two black guys” drive away in a white BMW car after she hear a loud “pop.”
“I saw them grab something from the (Escalade),” said Tea, who has a six-year-old son who lives with her in her suite.
The body was found just outside of Tea’s patio window.
“This really scares me because there are so many kids that live in this area,” said Tea.
“We were coming back from the park and we saw two men standing outside the building.
“When we went inside, that’s when we heard the gunshot.”
Sean Monson, a neighbour who lives in another apartment that overlooks the parking lot, says he saw the red Escalade parked near his suite previously.
Monson says the driver once flashed his high beams at him Wednesday night.
“All I heard were tires peeling out of here after the shooting,” said Monson who was in his apartment during the alleged shooting.
“I did not want to leave home (immediately) after the shooting.”
Persons with information are asked to call Edmonton police at 780-423-4567 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Gun violence isn’t new to the neighbourhood. Someone used a gun to spray bullets at three apartments in June 2009.
A child and a woman living in one suite weren’t injured during the shooting, but one bullet went through an eight-year-old’s comforter, and another bullet went through the wall of a woman’s bedroom — inches from her head.
A 16-year-old female and a 22-year-old man were charged with a number of firearm-related offences after the shooting last year.