15-year-old girl shot to death in northeast Calgary

A 15-year-old girl was shot and killed in the northeast Calgary community of Martindale on Tuesday.

Police were called to the 200 block of Martin Crossing Crescent N.E. at 1:30 a.m. for reports of gunfire coming from the alley.

Officers arrived to find the teen dead in the passenger seat of a black Mustang. 

Police say it appears the victim was shot while the vehicle was in the 300 block of Martindale Drive N.E.

"Following the shooting, the victims fled in their vehicle and stopped in the 200 block of Martin Crossing Crescent N.E. to contact police," Calgary police said in a Tuesday news release. 

"The suspect(s) also fled in an unknown direction. Descriptions of the suspect(s) have not yet been confirmed."

Officers from the Calgary Police Service's homicide unit are investigating the death, which is the city's third homicide of 2023. 

The body was removed from the Mustang on Martin Crossing Crescent N.E. around 5:30 a.m.

Investigators are reviewing footage from the vehicle's dash camera and speaking to the driver. 

Police are also canvassing the area to see if any residents have surveillance video that could assist the investigation.

Officials say the victim's next of kin have been notified and her identity will be released following an autopsy on Wednesday. 

"We are still in the early stages of this investigation, and we have a lot of unanswered questions that we are working through," said Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta.

"At this point, we are unable to confirm if this shooting was targeted, and we have dedicated a significant amount of resources to identify any persons involved."

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call police at 403-266-1234 or to submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

'PRETTY SCARY': COMMUNITY MEMBERS REACT

Before it was towed, the Mustang was sitting directly in front of Kirk Russell's home.

"This is pretty scary. It's a family-friendly area so there's a lots of kids around here," he said.

"Being a father of four, I could never imagine ever having to get that phone call."

Russell said he didn’t recognize the car.

Area resident Manu Ratten says he never thought violence like this could happen so close to his home.

He says he heard a vehicle speeding down the road but didn't hear any gunshots.

- With files from Austin Lee