'We need justice': Wife of Sikh man slain in Canada New Year day shooting
Darpan News Desk IANS, 17 Jan, 2023 10:46 AM
Toronto, Jan 17 (IANS) The wife of a 51-year-old Sikh man, who was shot dead when intruders broke into his Mill Woods house in Canada on New Year, has said that she needs swift justice for her husband.
Barinder Singh, who hails from Punjab and had moved to Edmonton in 2019 along with family, was asleep when intruders broke into his house at Mill Woods Road and started firing, the Global News reported.
Police responded to a disturbance around 2.45 a.m., and arrived at the complex in the Pollard Meadows neighbourhood to find an injured 51-year-old man lying in a pool of blood.
"It's all like a nightmare for us," a shattered Jasjeet Kaur, wife of Singh, told Global News.
Singh was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The autopsy revealed that he died from gunshot wounds and the medical examiner said that the manner of death was a homicide.
"We need justice. I just want to know who did this. I need to know. Whya Why my family was the target? And it was not just him -- it was the whole family," Jasjeet Kaur told the Canadian news channel. "I want the culprits. I want to know the reason why it happened."
A GoFundMe page set up for Singh described him as an "honest, family man who worked hard to provide for his family".
"(He was) a devoted son, a good brother and a caring father -- he kept us going through good times and tough times. Through his work, he supported my grandparents in Punjab, while providing for us in Delhi, India," the page quoted his two daughters as saying.
Police said it is still working to establish a motive for this violent crime. So far, the homicide unit has found a burnt-out white Dodge Ram truck in the nearby Laurel neighbourhood, which they think is connected to the crime.
They are looking for home security and dashcam footage in the area where the burned-out truck was located.
Police in Saanich, B.C., near Victoria, say multiple people have been injured after an exchange of gunfire between suspects and police officers. Police are asking the public to avoid the area.
In B.C., the heat wave that pushed the mercury to the low- to mid-30s for three days has ended but severe thunderstorm watches are posted for the central and southern Interior.
The passengers of the vehicle were identified and released pending further investigation. The 25-year old female driver remains in custody on a number of firearms related charges and the investigation remains ongoing.
The vehicle, described as a Black Jeep Cherokee was travelling northbound on Boundary Road prior to the collision. The driver, and sole occupant was pronounced dead on scene.
The driver of the motorcycle has been transported to a local area hospital with serious injuries. Blundell Rd and No 4 Rd will be closed in all directions for an undetermined period of time.
During the course of searching the 2-storey home officers reportedly heard a gun shot, and located the injured man with what appeared to be a self-inflicted injury and an alleged weapon.
