‘Buta Singh Gill was a good man, would help Indians in Canada without looking for anything in return’
Ottawa, April 9
Two people, including an Indian-origin man, were killed in a shooting in Canada’s south Edmonton on Monday, Canada-based CTV News Edmonton reported.
The Indian-origin man has been identified as Buta Singh Gill, the owner of Edmonton-based Gill Built Homes.
In a press release, Edmonton police said that Southwest Branch patrol officers responded to the report of a shooting in the area of Cavanagh Boulevard Southwest and Cherniak Way Southwest. It said that the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is investigating the death of two men in southwest Edmonton.
Edmonton police said, “At approximately 12:00 p.m. today, Monday, Apr. 8, 2024, Southwest Branch patrol officers responded to the report of a shooting in the area of Cavanagh Boulevard SW and Cherniak Way SW.” “Upon police arrival three injured males were located. EMS responded and determined two males, a 49-year-old and a 57-year-old were deceased, and a 51-year-old male was seriously injured. Paramedics transported the surviving male to hospital with serious life-threatening injuries,” it added.
According to the press release, the Edmonton Police Service said that the homicide section has taken over the investigation and police are not looking for any suspects. The police stated that the autopsies have been scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The family of one of the victims has identified him as Buta Singh Gill, owner of Edmonton-based Gill Built Homes, CTV News Edmonton reported. At least 50 people gathered at the site on Monday afternoon, the majority of them were members of the South Asian home-building community.
In a statement posted on X, the Edmonton Police Service stated, “Police are asking citizens to avoid the area of Cavanagh Blvd SW and 30 Avenue SW while police investigate a shooting that occurred in the residential area around noon.” “There are no immediate concerns for public safety at this time and responding officers have secured the scene. EPS homicide investigators will be leading this investigation. No further details are available,” it added.
Former Edmonton city councillor and former EPS member Mohinder Banga said he came to the site of the incident after hearing Gill had been killed in the shooting, CTV News Edmonton reported.
Mohinder Banga said, “He was such a nice person, and he would jump in to help people whenever they needed help and without looking for anything in return. That was his quality.” He added, “Obviously, you can see all the people here, they’re all well-wishers and the community is in shock right now.” Lindsay Hilton, a woman who said she witnessed the shooting while heading home, said she saw a man walking down Cavanagh Boulevard wearing construction attire. She said a black car came out of a nearby construction site, did a U-turn, drove up behind the man and bumped him.
Speaking to CTV News Edmonton, Hilton said, “The man in the construction vest had his gun out, pointed at the car and shot once into the driver’s side window, then I went right around the corner because I didn’t know what was going to happen.” She said, “I heard two more gunshots following.” Hilton said she pulled over and called 911. She said, “I have had moments of breaking down like this into tears because it’s just something I think that you just don’t expect to see in broad daylight,” according to CTV News Edmonton report.
She stated, “It just looked like another interaction of guys stopping to talk at the construction site, so when I saw him pull that gun and shoot, it just took me a minute even to put together what happened.” Meanwhile, another woman named Abby Sieban said she was walking with her children in the stroller when she heard gunshots.
