‘Innocent victim’ shot outside Calgary Co-op grocery store, another man dead: police

Calgary police say two men were shot near the North Hill Co-op. One later died, while an innocent bystander is recovering from injuries.

Calgary police say one of the people shot outside a Co-op grocery store Monday night was an innocent bystander.

Police were called to the North Hill Co-op, located at 520 16 Ave. N.E., just before 8 p.m. for reports of shots fired.

Officers found two men with gunshot wounds in the parking lot, both of whom were taken to hospital in life-threatening condition.

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One of the men died in hospital.

On Tuesday, police identified the deceased as 35-year-old Leslie Babajid Cole.

“The surviving victim is not believed to be connected to the shooting, and is not known to the deceased individual,” Staff Sgt. Mike Shute said. “He is a complete innocent victim.”

Shute said the man was simply caught in the crosshairs.  

“He was not trying to intervene; he was not trying to assist,” Shute said. “He attempted to flee the area to safety, and he ended up being shot in the process. It was no fault of his.”

Shute said Cole was targeted by two people, and two guns were fired.  

He said it’s rare to have innocent bystanders injured by gun violence.  

The Co-op was temporarily placed into lockdown to keep staff and customers safe.

The suspects fled before police arrived.

Police say the brazen shooting is believed to be connected to organized crime.

“Gun violence is not tolerated in our city, and no Calgarian should feel unsafe when they are going about their day in their own community,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Shute.

No arrests have been made and no suspects are currently in custody.

‘Get the f**k out of our city’

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas calls the violence concerning.

“Public safety has to remain our top priority as a council. We’re taking needed efforts to support the Calgary Police Service,” Farkas said while speaking to reporters outside city hall on Tuesday. “Calgary city council takes public safety extremely seriously.”

Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly, who lives only a few blocks away from the Co-op, also spoke about the incident.

“It’s scary,” he said. “The security camera at my house caught the eight to 10 shots very loud and clearly.

“I was standing at the very spot where this happened not two hours beforehand — before I went to a council meeting.

“My daughter, about five minutes before the shots occurred, decided she was going to go to the grocery store and get something to eat. If it were not for infinite scroll on her cell phone, she would have been there at that exact moment in time,” Kelly said.

“So, I get it, neighbours, I understand how scary this is,” he said. “You have every right to be scared right now, and I get it,” he added.

“A brazen daylight shooting like this, a targeted attack, is incredibly rare in Calgary, but it happened in or neighbourhood.”

Kelly said to the shooters, “I highly, strongly suggest you go and turn yourself in today, so the Calgary Police Service is not hunting you down for the rest of your miserable existence.”

He then encouraged anyone who knows who the perpetrators are, may be harbouring them or who may lead a criminal lifestyle to “get the f**k out of our city.”

“We have no interest in you; you have no value to our society. Please leave. Leave now,” he said.

Kelly said he has absolute confidence that police will locate the people responsible.

‘Quite a shock’

Alexa Villanueva works at a nearby daycare and says the situation is frightening.

“It is quite a shock, because I’ve been working there for about a year now and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of this happening here.”

Villanueva noted there are plenty of other daycares and also schools in the area.

“It is really concerning,” she added.

Anyone with information on the shooting, including CCTV or dashcam footage, is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.