A Calgary man is in stable condition in hospital after he was shot while sitting in a car in the Upper Mount Royal area on Monday morning and police believe the attack was targeted.
Police were called to the 2200 block of 7 Street S.W. at about 8:05 p.m. for reports of shots fired and found an injured man sitting in the driver’s seat of a black Rolls Royce.
A man in his 40s was taken to hospital with serious injuries and remains in stable condition.
The vehicle sustained some front-end damage in the incident and bullet holes were visible in the windshield.
“We believe this was a targeted attack, however, at this time, I wouldn’t want to speculate as to a motive,” said CPS Staff Sgt. Travis Baker. “The best we have so far is multiple shots fired.”
Police have not confirmed the identity of the victim but neighbours tell CTV that Riaz Mamdani, the CEO for Strategic Group, has lived at a home near the scene for years.
The company released a statement on Monday afternoon saying…
We were advised earlier today that our President and CEO Riaz Mamdani was the victim of an apparent attempted robbery. We are told he is in hospital in stable condition.
The thoughts and best wishes of the Strategic Group Team are with Mr. Mamdani and his Family.
We wish him a speedy recovery.
Calgary police also released a statement saying that the information given by Strategic Group in relation to an alleged motive is 'inaccurate' and that the company's statement 'was not based on any investigative information provided by the Calgary Police Service.'
They say the company's statement was issued before investigators had a chance to contact Strategic and that 'there is nothing to indicate the attack was an attempted robbery.'
Strategic issued another statement on Monday afternoon saying…
Strategic Group is totally shocked and our Team Members are devastated to have heard about our President and CEO, Riaz Mamdani. Our focus is on supporting his family and look forward to his speedy recovery. This is a stressful time for his family, and on their behalf, we ask that their privacy is respected.
In a previous statement, we inadvertently suggested that this may have been caused by an attempted robbery. The Calgary Police statement has stated that they are not sure of the cause of this targeted attack. All inquiries about the crime should be directed to the Calgary Police.
Police are looking for a male in a bright, orange jacket and say he was seen in the area at the time of the shooting.
Megan Turner was looking after some cats in one of the homes in the area when she heard sirens.
"I didn't hear much else. It's just really alarming to have such a tragedy happen so close to where I live. Walking home at night, I have never felt unsafe. This is very disturbing to me."
A woman, who didn't want to be identified, heard the shots near her home.
"I was in my kitchen and I heard three shots. I thought they were gunshots. I asked my husband and he thought so too. They sounded just below our house," she said. "I wasn't paying attention until I looked out and saw all the activity and saw something had happened with all those shots."
Police were called to a vehicle fire in the 3800 block of 7 Street S.W. a short time later and found an SUV on fire between the garages of two homes.
Investigators are working to determine if the two scenes are connected.
“It’s not yet known if this incident or the vehicle involved is connected to the shooting, however investigators are looking at all possibilities,” said Baker. “It’s not very far away. The time is pretty consistent with the fact that the shooting occurred and then shortly after there was a vehicle fire reported so we’re certainly looking into both of them with the strong suspicion that maybe they’re connected but we can’t confirm that at this point.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be left anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers using any of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
TEXT: tttTIPS to 274637
