The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said four men were shot at a Muslim cemetery just outside of Calgary on Friday afternoon.
Sgt Jack Poitras said the shooting happened near Cochrane and the injured people were being treated at Calgary hospitals. A police spokesperson at the scene said all suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said there was a funeral at the cemetery and a group of people remained at the site following the service. Poitras said it appears the shooting involved people who were in the group.
Zouheir Osman, who is in charge of the cemetery, said a service for a 21-year-old man was taking place before the shooting. He said he left shortly before the shots were fired.
Osman said he didn’t believe the shooting had anything to do with the man being remembered at the funeral.
However, Calgary Imam Syed Soharwardy said he spoke with two people who attended the funeral and they suspect the shooting was gang-related.
“It did not seem to be a hate crime,” Soharwardy said. “It looks like it was a turf war or gang war or some type of revenge.”
The funeral was for a Pakistani man named Hamza Nazir, said Soharwardy, who knows the family. He said he doesn’t know the cause of the young man’s death.
{{/usCountry}}The funeral was for a Pakistani man named Hamza Nazir, said Soharwardy, who knows the family. He said he doesn’t know the cause of the young man’s death.
{{/usCountry}}Despite police assuring the public there was no danger, a heavily armed police tactical team remained outside the Calgary Foothills Hospital on Friday evening.