Suspect in Edmonton, Winnipeg drive-by shootings fled to India after being released from custody: police

Police say the man accused in three drive-by shootings in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, and Winnipeg in December 2023 was previously in police custody before he was released and fled to India.

The Edmonton Police Service have issued Canada-wide warrants for 19-year-old Arjun Sahnan. They say he left for India on a flight booked prior to the Winnipeg shooting.

“I strongly urge him to come back to Canada to face his charges,” said Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart with the EPS Guns and Gangs Section. “Regardless of whether he complies, we know who he is and fleeing to another country will not stop us from attempting to locate him.

“We’re not sure where the individual, if he does come back to Canada, where he will land or end up in. It’s not uncommon for individuals not to come back to the jurisdiction they commit their offences in.”

Investigators with “Project Gaslight” – a joint effort between EPS, the Surrey RCMP, and Peel Regional Police – believe the shootings are connected to an arson and extortion scheme targeting South Asian businesses.

They allege, following ballistic analysis, that the same gun was used in all three shootings.

Project Gaslight: Surveillance footage shows suspects setting fires to Edmonton homes

Sahnan was one of six men arrested early in Edmonton police’s extortion investigation. He was arrested on five firearms-related charges during a Dec. 30, 2023 vehicle stop.

“He was arrested after these events took place, and he was charged with firearm offences,” Stewart said. “It was a patrol, our general patrol stop. He went through the bail hearing process, and he was released on bail conditions.”

Those bail conditions were not to possess any weapons; not to possess any firearm or ammunition; not to be intoxicated by controlled drugs, alcohol or other intoxicating substances in a public place.

Cy Becker shooting in Edmonton

Police say shots were fired at an upstairs bedroom of a Cy Becker home in Edmonton on Dec. 21. The homeowners were sleeping in the room when shots rang out around 2:50 a.m.

Four other people, including two children, were asleep in the home. Police allege the homeowner was extorted for money and threatened prior to the shooting.

Northwest Winnipeg shooting

On Dec. 24, police say shots were fired at a home occupied by several family members around 8:45 p.m.

A bullet barely missed one of the residents, according to police, who released surveillance footage of the incident.

That homeowner was also extorted prior to the shooting, police say.

WATCH: Project Gaslight: December 2023 Winnipeg drive-by shooting

Investigators are looking for information about the suspect vehicle: a black SUV with no front licence plate. They are also asking for tips regarding a second suspect.

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Fountain Creek shooting in Sherwood Park

The third incident happened on Dec. 29. Police say shots were fired at an unoccupied home around 1:08 a.m.

A bullet travelled trough a window and struck a toybox inside a children’s playroom, according to police.

Investigators believe the shooter accidentally targeted the wrong house, as the homeowner received no threats prior to that shooting.

“There is an individual orchestrating and directing young men in our city to carry out these acts,” Stewart said. “What I can say is that, in my opinion, they are being exploited to carry out these acts, and someone who is not in this country is benefiting from that.”