Police say the man shot and killed at a party on Sunday morning was associated with a gang in Ontario.
They won't say which gang, but admit that Abdalla Ali Hussein's presence in Calgary may be part of a worrisome trend.
"We've known over the past two years we've seen an influx of gang members into Calgary, especially from Toronto and Ottawa, and we believe the victim was associated with one of those groups in the Ottawa area," says Staff Sergeant Martin Schiavetta from the Calgary Police Service.
On Sunday, the 20-year-old was killed after shots were fired at the Radisson Heights Community Centre. Several other party goers were caught in the crossfire and four of them were wounded. Police say some of them were not intended targets of the bullets.
Police say Hussein had serious criminal convictions in Ontario and that they had been keeping an eye on him in Calgary for about a year. They confirm he was involved in the drug underworld in our city.
Gang experts say we shouldn't be surprised to see gangs from other parts of the country cashing in on Alberta's strong economy. "We know there are gangs from various parts of Canada, looking for their share in the riches of Edmonton and Calgary. And these cities rank up their in their perceived ability to give them the lifestyle they are looking for," says Michael Chettleburgh, a gang expert based in Toronto.
