Edmonton police are asking for help identifying a vehicle that was used during a drive-by shooting they say is connected to an extortion scheme targeting the local South Asian community.
A house in the northeast Cy Becker neighbourhood was shot at around 1 a.m. on Jan. 10.
A family with children lives there.
No one was hurt, but bullets were found inside the home.
Investigators on Thursday released video and pictures of the vehicle used.
Police believe the family is not involved in criminal activity and that the shooting is connected to a string of extortion attempts on South Asian business owners in Edmonton.
According to CTV News Edmonton’s sources, the house shot at on Jan. 10 belongs to a home builder.
As of Thursday, Edmonton Police Service had connected five extortions, 15 arsons and seven “firearms offences” since October to the scheme. Six people face weapon-related charges.
The most recent arson happened in Beaumont, 30 minutes south of Edmonton, on Tuesday. Police previously did not confirm it was linked, although sources told CTV News Edmonton it was.
In total, $9 million in property damage has been caused.
None of the related shootings have caused injuries, but a firefighter was injured at one of the arsons, EPS says.
Similar crimes have been reported in B.C. and Ontario.
On Thursday, EPS said, “at this time, investigators do not believe these to be connected to the Edmonton series.”
Anyone who has been threatened or who has information about the connected crimes is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 and reference file #23-802638 or Crime Stoppers.
EPS is providing an update on the investigation at 10 a.m. Watch it live on CTVNewsEdmonton.ca.