THE home of South Asian builders in Leduc, south of Edmonton in Alberta was shot up in the early hours of Thursday, August 7 in the Diamond Estates area located between the Nisku industrial area and the city of Beaumont.

RCMP told the media that at approximately 2:15 a.m., a dark-coloured sedan entered the area and at around 2:30 a.m., 18 shots were fired toward the home. The suspect(s) fled the area about five minutes later. No one was injured.

The residents told Global News that they mistook the shooting for fireworks. It was only later in the morning that they found that their vehicles, garage, and windows had been damaged.

RCMP believe this to be a targeted incident, but said that it was too early to connect this shooting with other such incidents that have occurred over the past two years in the Edmonton area.

LAST month, Edmonton Police said that six incidents of threats and extortion attempts targeting South Asians had been reported since early June. This included at least one case of arson.

They said that there was some association and some linkages to the earlier cases against South Asian home builders that resulted in the Project Gaslight investigation.

The pattern was similar with calls or messages demanding money.

The CBC reported that police believe the recent extortions are linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Edmonton Police are bringing in resources from Calgary Police and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams for the investigation. Community liaison constables are also reaching out to people to encourage them to report any concerns.