Police believe suspected cop killer shot Pizza employee, too
TORONTO (AP) — A 16-year-old who allegedly killed two police officers before shooting his mother and then killing himself is believed to have shot a Pizza Hut employee earlier in the week, an official familiar with the matter said Friday.
Police said the teen shot the officers in the hall of his apartment early Thursday in Edmonton, Alberta, then struggled with his mother over the firearm before shooting her and killing himself.
On Sunday, someone walked into a Pizza Hut a block from the apartment and shot an employee who survived. An official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that police believe it is the same suspect. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Police said the male suspect in Thursday’s shooting previously received a mental health complaint that involved police. He did not have a criminal record, police said.
Authorities said the officers were called to a family fight but there was no indication that the call was high risk or dangerous or that the teen had a gun.
“When the two officers arrived, they were met by a 55-year-old female complainant outside of the complex. The two officers then responded to the suite where she resided, along with her 73-year-old male partner and their 16-year-old son,” police said in a statement.
“Immediately upon arriving at the suite, both constables were shot multiple times by the 16-year-old male, and were immediately incapacitated. A struggle reportedly ensued between the mother and son over the firearm, and the suspect shot his mother before turning the firearm on himself, taking his own life. The father was not physically injured during the shootings.”
Police said the mother remained unresponsive in a hospital and had not yet been talked to. The father is cooperating in the investigation, police said.
Police identified the dead officers as Travis Jordan, 35, who had been with the Edmonton force for 8 1/2 years, and Brett Ryan, 30, an officer for 5 1/2 years.
Edmonton police are also investigating a shooting earlier in the week at a nearby Pizza Hut. It is not known whether that is related.
The killings were the first for the Edmonton Police Service since an officer was shot to death in 2015. Before that, an officer was fatally shot in 1990.
By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press
