15-year-old charged in shooting death of teen at Arbour Lake park

Calgary police have charged a youth with second-degree murder for the death of a 16-year-old found dead in an Arbour Lake park last week.

Police were called to the park in northwest Calgary about 8:30 p.m. on March 31 where they discovered Jal Acor Jal, 16, suffering gunshot wounds.

"Our homicide unit worked around the clock to canvass the Arbour Lake neighborhood to collect any CCTV footage, spoke with potential witnesses, and worked closely with Jal’s family, friends, and extended community," police said in a release.

"We learned about Jal’s passion for basketball and football, how he lit up the lives of everyone around him, and how devastating this loss has been for everyone who knew him."

FAMILY STUNNED BY LOSS

In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Jal's family said they are still grieving this loss and are struggling with their feelings.

"We're unsure of how to feel. We're still grieving – we're still shocked. We are still in disbelief – we don't know how to feel," said Akeir Kuol, Jal's aunt.

While an arrest has been made, she says there is little information about what exactly happened.

She's still thankful for the hard work being done by police during the investigation and all of the members of the community who helped out.

"We just want to say thank you so much for helping the family get closer to the answers."

ARREST MADE ON APRIL 5

A search warrant was executed at a residence on Tuesday and a 15-year-old boy was taken into custody.

The accused cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

"We would like to thank Jal’s family, friends, and his community for trusting us to find answers. We could not have done this without their help, and without the help of the residents of Arbour Lake," said homicide unit Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson.

"While we are thankful we are able to bring answers to his family, this is a sad conclusion to an already tragic event."