'I started breaking down:' Friends remember 15-year-old Calgary homicide victim
A 15-year-old girl shot to death in the northeast Calgary community of Martindale early Tuesday morning, has now been identified by friends and police as Sarah Alexis Jorquera.
Jorquera was a passenger in the front seat of a Ford Mustang around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday when she was shot and killed.
Police were called to the 200 block of Martin Crossing Crescent N.E. for reports of gunfire coming from a nearby alley.
Jorquera was shot while the vehicle was in an alley of the 300 block of Martindale Drive N.E. According to police, she was in the front passenger seat of the vehicle at the time.
Police say the driver did not sustain any physical injuries.
Calgary police investigate a deadly shooting in the community of Martindale on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.
Police say they have received several tips that suggest it was a targeted shooting, but that they are still working to determine if Jorquera was the intended target or a victim of mistaken identity.
The Calgary Board of Education confirmed Wednesday that Jorquera was a student at Crescent Heights High School. They said they're in the process of informing the school community and that supports will be available at the school Monday when classes resume following spring break.
SHATTERED BY THE NEWS
Stephanie Topolnicki lives in Spruce Grove, and said she was good friends with Jorquera.
The pair even lived together for the month of January this year in Calgary.
Topolnicki said she was at a friend’s house when she found out Jorquera had been killed.
“I was just about to go to bed, it was six in the morning and I got a call, (saying) you need to pick up,” said Topolnicki.
“I was like, okay, okay, I'll pick up. (Her sister said) 'Sarah's gone'. I was like, what do you mean? Maybe she just didn't come home but the sound of her sister's voice, and then I started breaking down.”
Topolnicki said she felt shattered by the news of losing someone she considers a little sister.
“I felt like I lost my sister and my best friend. It hurt a lot."
Jorquera and her friend Stephanie Topolnicki (Photo courtesy Stephanie Topolnicki)
Topolnicki said she has dealt with a lot of anxiety since Jorquera’s death.
“A lot of like unknown anger. I just want to know, why,” said Topolnicki.
"She didn't deserve that or anything and everyone knows that. But it's hard to not know what happened to your best friend that's been there for so long.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Wrongfully convicted N.B. man has mixed feelings since exoneration
Robert Mailman, 76, was exonerated on Jan. 4 of a 1983 murder for which he and his friend Walter Gillespie served lengthy prison terms.
Can the Governor General do what Pierre Poilievre is asking? This expert says no
A historically difficult week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government ended with a renewed push from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to topple this government – this time in the form a letter to the Governor General.
opinion Christmas movies for people who don't like Christmas movies
The holidays can bring up a whole gamut of emotions, not just love and goodwill. So CTV film critic Richard Crouse offers up a list of Christmas movies for people who might not enjoy traditional Christmas movies.
New York City police investigate death of woman found on fire in subway car
New York City Police on Sunday were seeking a man they believe is connected to the early morning death of a woman who was sleeping on a stationary subway train before she was intentionally lit on fire.
'I'm still thinking pinch me': lost puppy reunited with family after five years
After almost five years of searching and never giving up hope, the Tuffin family received the best Christmas gift they could have hoped for: being reunited with their long-lost puppy.
Pickup truck driver killed by police after driving through Texas mall and injuring 5
A pickup truck driver fleeing police careened through the doors of a JCPenney store in Texas and continued through a busy mall, injuring five people before he was fatally shot by officers, authorities said.
10 hospitalized after suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Ottawa's east end
The Ottawa Police Service says ten people were taken to hospital, with one of them in life-threatening condition, after being exposed to suspected carbon monoxide in the neighbourhood of Vanier on Sunday morning.
Two U.S. Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'friendly fire' incident, U.S. military says
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent 'friendly fire' incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Big splash: Halifax mermaid waves goodbye after 16 years
Halifax's Raina the Mermaid is closing her business after 16 years in the Maritimes.