Sikh man, son shot dead in gang war at Canada’s Edmonton

OTTAWA: An Indian-origin Sikh man, described as a “higher-level figure “ in the organised crime scene in Canada, and his 11-year-old son were shot and killed in what police have called a “sick and twisted” escalation of gang violence in the city of Edmonton.

Harpreet Singh Uppal, 41, and his son were gunned down outside a gas station Thursday afternoon in a brazen, daytime shooting, Edmonton Police Service acting Supt. Colin Derksen told the media on Friday. The boy’s young friend, who was in Uppal’s car at the time, survived with no physical injuries.

Derksen said police do not know whether the shooter or shooters knew children were in the car when they began following Uppal.

“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 added killing children was once a “line in the sand” gang members refused to cross, but that is changing.

“That is sick and twisted,” Derksen said. “I think most gang members would agree.”

Derksen said a suspect vehicle — a stolen 2012 BMW X6 — was located on fire north of Beaumont. No one was located inside the vehicle and no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.