Calgary Police identify homicide victim as Gurkeert (Gary) Singh Kalkat, 25, of Calgary and Surrey (update)

Is someone leaking out info to gangsters? (See below)

CALGARY Police on Wednesday identified the May 22 homicide victim as Gurkeert Singh Kalkat, also known as Gary Kalkat, 25, of Calgary and Surrey, British Columbia.

An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to identify the victim.

Within hours of the murder last Saturday, the victim’s identity was known in the South Asian community in the Lower Mainland, perhaps primarily because of the large South Asian population in Calgary. The VOICE knew the identity of the victim but we only mentioned that he was “a relative” of Jaskeert Kalkat on our website voiceonline.com.

Gurkeert Kalkat’s brother, Jaskeert Kalkat, 23, who was known to police and affiliated with the Brothers Keepers gang, was shot and killed on May 13 shortly after 8:35 p.m. at Burnaby’s Market Crossing near Byrne Road and Marine Way. The two people that were injured in the shooting – a man and woman in their 20s — were also targeted. They were expected to survive in spite of having been seriously injured.

What added high drama to the Calgary murder was that just an hour after that – at 5:30 p.m. [Pacific Time] – Mir Aali Hussain, was shot and killed in Coquitlam near Hart Street and Henderson Avenue. That led to rumours that the two murders were connected. They were not.

One media report said that in 2018, Gurkeert Kalkat was sentenced to three years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl. This followed an undercover drug operation led by Calgary Police.

Providing an update on Gurkeert Kalkat’s murder on Wednesday, Calgary Police said that the homicide is believed to be directly related to the ongoing gang conflict that has been occurring throughout the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.

“This incident was targeted, pre-planned and deliberate, and the offenders showed no regard for the safety of Calgarians. At the time of the shooting there were at least five residents who were in a nearby backyard who could have easily been struck by a stray bullet,” police said.

On Saturday, May 22, at approximately 5:30 p.m., police were called to the 1800-block of 26 Avenue S.W., for multiple reports of gunshots in the area. Upon arrival, police located a man suffering from gunshot wounds inside his vehicle, which was in the alley behind 26 Avenue S.W. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Immediately after the shooting, suspects abandoned their first getaway vehicle, a stolen Honda Odyssey van with a stolen license plate, in the alley of the 2200-block of 31 Avenue S.W., and transferred to a second getaway vehicle, a blue, four-door Subaru Impreza. Before fleeing this scene, witnesses reported seeing at least two suspects light the stolen van on fire.

Investigators believe that one of the suspects may have sustained burn injuries to his hands and arms during this incident. Investigators have been in touch with hospitals throughout Alberta and British Columbia. However, they have not yet identified any suspects.

After combing through a significant amount of CCTV from the area, investigators are releasing images of the blue Subaru Impreza that the suspects fled the Marda Loop area in. From the scene, the vehicle travelled west on 32 Avenue S.W., south on 22 Street S.W., to 33 Avenue S.W., where it is believed the suspects drove north on Crowchild Trail. It is still unknown if they are currently travelling in this vehicle.

“There is a good probability that these offenders travelled to Calgary with the sole purpose of committing this homicide,” said Staff-Sgt. Martin Schiavetta of the Calgary Police Service Homicide Unit. “This is not the first time we have seen gang conflict from outside of Calgary enter our city, however, wherever these gang members are, they are putting citizens, friends, family members and police officers around them at risk.”

“We have engaged our law enforcement partners across Alberta and British Columbia, including The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit BC (CFSEU), RCMP, Vancouver Police Department, and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), as the victim’s brother [Jaskeert Kalkat] was also murdered on May 13, 2021, in Burnaby, British Columbia, outside of a busy restaurant,” police said.

Anyone who has information about the offenders, including individuals who may have received unexplained burn injuries this weekend, or the blue Subaru are asked to contact police by calling the non-emergency number at 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477

TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org

APP: P3 Tips

Case #21189037/3417

 

 

MEANWHILE, well-known Punjabi journalist Gurpreet (Lucky) Singh Sahota tells The VOICE that he suspects that a couple of cops might be leaking out information about the gangsters to their rivals. He wonders how the gangsters who targeted Gurkeert Singh Kalkat could have found out that he was living in a halfway house in a posh area of Calgary. Sahota said that he was not blaming all the cops. He said Gurkeert had cleaned up his act and was planning to start a dog breeding business.

Lee Steven Chapelle, who works as a consultant for first-time offenders primarily and also trains lawyers and other professionals who deal with convicts, tweeted the following: “Gurkeert was a respectful, intelligent gentleman & a gentle man. He earned a parole this winter & was not active in any gang relations, at all. He was fully compliant with the restrictive conditions of his parole & planned to breed dogs for a living. Senseless murder. RIP Garry.”

 

 

 

 

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