EDMONTON, Alberta — Police on Wednesday were investigating what prompted a man to kill six adults and two young children in Edmonton before taking his own life in a rampage described as the Canadian city’s worst mass shooting.
“It appears to be an extreme case of domestic violence gone awry. I think there were some drug and violence issues involved,” Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said.
Police spokesman Scott Pattison said officials have not yet confirmed the shooter’s relationship to the victims of Monday’s rampage. He said police were waiting for the medical examiner to confirm the identities of all the victims.
Police did not release the name of the suspect, but the daughter-in-law of an owner of the restaurant where the man was found dead said he was Phu Lam, a maintenance man there.
Police said the man was well-known to police and had a criminal record dating back to September 1987. He had been arrested in November 2012 and charged with domestic and sexual assault.