On Dec. 21, 2023, at 2:50 a.m. in the Cy Becker neighbourhood in Edmonton, shots were fired at an upstairs bedroom window where the homeowners were sleeping. Four other occupants, two of them children, were also asleep in the home at the time of the shooting.
Days later, on Dec. 24, 2023, at 8:45 p.m., shots were fired at a home in northwest Winnipeg that was occupied by several family members. One bullet traveled through a bedroom, barely missing the occupant inside, and passed through a connecting wall into an adjacent occupied room. The shooting was captured on security cameras in the area. The suspect vehicle is a black SUV with no front license plate, which is unusual in Manitoba. Police are looking for information about this vehicle.
Video: drive-by shooting in Winnipeg
Suspect vehicle in Winnipeg shooting: black SUV with no front license plate
In both the Edmonton and Winnipeg shootings, the homeowner was extorted for money and threatened prior to the shooting. No one was injured in either shooting.
On Dec. 29, 2023, at 1:08 a.m., shots were fired at an unoccupied home in the Fountain Creek neighborhood of Sherwood Park. One bullet traveled through a window into a children’s playroom and struck a toybox inside. No one was injured, and the suspect vehicle was captured on security cameras in the area. The homeowner received no threats prior to the shooting, and investigators believe the shooter accidentally targeted the wrong house.
Through ballistic analysis, police have determined that the same gun was used in all three drive-by shootings. Canada-wide warrants have been issued for 19-year-old Arjun Sahnan, who is alleged to be responsible for the shootings. FIU investigators have determined that Sahnan fled to India, leaving on a flight that he had booked prior to committing the Winnipeg and Sherwood Park shootings.
Wanted on Canada-wide warrants: Arjun Sahnan, 19
“Our Firearms Investigation Unit is a sophisticated team with the resources to investigate these complex files, regardless of where the offences take place,” says S/Sgt. Eric Stewart, Guns and Gangs Section. “Committing gun crime in other provinces and fleeing the country will not prevent us from charging a suspect and holding them accountable.”
Citizens are asked to reach out to police with any information about Sahnan’s whereabouts.
Investigators are also asking the public for tips regarding a second suspect connected to the Winnipeg shooting, as seen in the surveillance images below.
Second suspect in Winnipeg shooting
On Apr. 24, FIU executed search warrants and arrested an individual in connection to a Jan. 10, 2024 drive-by shooting at a Cy Becker residence occupied by a family with children. No one was struck in that shooting, although bullets were recovered from inside the home. Police had previously issued a news release seeking information about the suspect vehicle in that shooting, which has since been identified. The firearm used in that shooting is still outstanding, and FIU investigators are working to locate it.
Anyone who has information about the suspects, suspect vehicle, or the events related to this crime series is asked to contact police immediately at projectgaslight@edmontonpolice.ca or 780-391-4279. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.