South Asian homebuilders say their house was shot up, Leduc RCMP investigating
Police said the shooting occurred in the early morning hours of Aug. 7, in the Diamond Estates area located between the Nisku industrial area and the city of Beaumont.
At approximately 2:15 a.m., a dark-coloured sedan entered the area and remained for roughly 20 minutes, RCMP said.
At around 2:30 a.m., the suspect vehicle fired 18 shots toward a home before fleeing the scene about five minutes later. No one was injured.
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A bullet hole in a home in Leduc County on Friday, August 8, 2025. Global News has converted this photo to black and white so the home is less recognizable. Global News
The people who live in the house told Global News they heard loud noises between 2 and 2:30 a.m., but didn't know what it was and thought perhaps fireworks. They said they looked outside but didn't see anything.
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After the sun came up, the residents found their vehicles, garage, and windows peppered with bullet holes.
Global News is not naming them or their company, showing their faces or revealing their house number out of concerns for their safety.
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A bullet hole in a home in Leduc County on Friday, August 8, 2025. Global News has converted this photo to black and white so the home is less recognizable. Global News
While the investigation is in its early stages and specific details are limited, RCMP said they do not believe this to be a random incident.
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RCMP said it's too early to say if Thursday's shooting in Leduc County is connected to other acts of violence that have taken place over the past two years in the Edmonton area.
South Asian community faces new extortion threats
The region's South Asian community dealt with threats of violence for years as police investigated a series of extortions known as Project Gaslight.
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From shootings to new or under-construction homes being torched, police investigated dozens of crimes in the Edmonton region between October 2023 and January of this year that investigators said were extortions by members of the South Asian community against their own people — in particular, home builders and affluent community members.
The extortion scheme saw successful South Asian business people threatened for money in exchange for 'protection' and officials said failure to pay out led to arsons — primarily at under-construction homes — and drive-by shootings.
The result? Tens of millions of dollars in damage and widespread fear in the community.
One of the arsonist was convicted last week and several other suspects are awaiting trial.
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Project Gaslight extortion arsonist pleads guilty to torching Edmonton homes
Last month, Edmonton police said the threats have started again.
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Investigators believe a recent arson and half a dozen extortions are connected to the latest threats, and allege there are links to a high-profile crime group in India.
The people perpetrating the crimes on the ground are different than the cases from the Project Gaslight investigation, Edmonton police said, but there are believed to be connections at a higher level.
In light of the recent crimes, the Edmonton Police Service said it's formed a new project in partnership with resources from Calgary police, Alberta RCMP and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT.)
For every crime they know about, police suspect there are many others in which victims stay silent — fearful to come forward to police either because they're afraid for their personal safety, or they come from a region with low trust in police services.
A town hall was held last week, with the aim of strengthen relations and build trust with the South Asian community.
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Edmonton's south Asian community 'doesn't feel safe' amid new threats
Edmonton police reminded residents who have been threatened that they can report tips anonymously to a third party: Crime Stoppers.
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Edmonton police also have a dedicated email (projectgaslight@edmontonpolice.ca) and phone number (780-391-4279) for South Asian community members who are being targeted.
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