Prominent Indo-Canadian builder shot dead in Alberta province

Police officers at the scene of a crime in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven, Ontario, Canada (Photo for representative purpose only).

Toronto: A prominent Indo-Canadian builder in Edmonton, capital of the Canadian province of Alberta, is believed to have been among the two persons killed during a shooting episode on Monday.

While the victim has not yet been formally identified by law enforcement, local media said he was Buta Singh Gill, a prominent builder in the city and head of the construction company Gill Built Homes.

The incident occurred on Monday afternoon and the brazen daylight shooting shocked the local community.

In a post on X, the Edmonton Police Service said, “Police are asking citizens to avoid the area of Cavanagh Blvd SW and 30 Avenue SW while police investigate a shooting that occurred in the residential area around noon.”

The incident took place at a construction site where multiple residential units were being built.

“There are no immediate concerns for public safety at this time and responding officers have secured the scene. EPS homicide investigators will be leading this investigation. No further details are available,” the statement added.

Gill was also believed to be associated with a local gurdwara and active within the local Indo-Canadian community.

The outlet CTV News Edmonton, which identified Gill as the victim, cited an eyewitness as stating that a person, dressed in a construction vest, approached the vehicle where Gill was sitting and shot him multiple times. There were unconfirmed reports that the shooter then committed suicide and that a business dispute may have resulted in the tragedy.

However, Edmonton has also recently witnessed a series of gang-related shooting and arson incidents connected to extortion attempts. In February, Staff Sergeant Dave Paton, of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Section, said that EPS has a dedicated team working on Project Gaslight, the extortion series now totaling 34 events in the capital of the province of Alberta.

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