A 55-year-old mother and her 13-year-old daughter were found dead in their home in Range Road 222, Strathcona County. Another family member was also found dead with the two.
According to reports from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the mother and daughter are both believed to be victims of homicide. The third family member, on the other hand, died of a self-inflicted injury.
The Emergency Response Team found the three people shot to death on their property with a dead dog, which was also shot.
On Tuesday, Detachment Commander Supt. Dave Kalist of the RCMP said that there was a fourth family member who was able to run away from the scene and was able to call 911.
Police: No speculations
A statement from the RCMP says that they are not speculating on why this happened. However, they consider this a tragedy with three deaths. Officials also reiterated that this tragedy left other family members. These people are still going to deal with what happened; thus, this should be respected by the public.
Kalist said they have very limited information that they can provide to the public, especially because the incident does not seem like resulting in criminal charges.
Based on the records of RCMP, no domestic incidents or any other investigations were pointing to the address of the people who died.
Also, the gun, which was used in the shooting, was legally owned.
Because of the nature of the case, there will be no charges or trial on this one. Despite this, officials are ensuring that they have all the facts gathered, and a thorough investigation will be conducted.
Right now, the authorities are requesting the public to provide support and privacy to the family.
Accounts of Neighbors
One of the neighbors of the family, Joe Tomanek, identified the couple, who lived in the house where the incident happened, as Greg and Lois Gartner. The couple, according to neighbors, had two children.
According to Tomanek, one of their neighbors, on Monday morning, heard gunshots.
Tomanek is friends with Greg. According to Tomanek, Greg purchased equipment from him in the past.
Tomanek also said that he had seen signs that the couple has an on and off relationship. Greg had already told Tomanek about the state of the relationship in January.
But despite this, he did not see that something was wrong with Greg. Tomanek also shared, "He seemed pretty reasonable; he seemed like a fairly intelligent guy."
Moodys Tax's Statement
Greg Gartner is a tax attorney at Moodys Tax Team in Edmonton.
On Tuesday evening, they released a statement expressing their shock and sadness brought by the tragic event that happened to one of their colleagues. Moodys Tax also shared that they are doing their best to ensure access to support of their team in this difficult time.
Strathcona Country Mayor's Statement
On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Rod Frank issued a statement on behalf of the community. Along with the mayor's expression of grief about what happened, he also reminded his constituents that there is available mental health support service in the county.
