One southwest elementary school and one preschool were locked down after a stabbing death in a southwest Calgary community early Tuesday.
Calgary police officers were called to the John Costello Catholic School at 300 Strathcona Drive SW around 7:40 a.m. When they arrived, they found one woman dead at the scene in what police say was a targeted domestic attack. Duty Inspector Scott Neilson said that the victim appeared to have been stabbed.
“Officers from across the police service immediately flooded the scene and worked with the administration at both the elementary and preschool to facilitate lockdowns as a precaution to keep staff and students safe,” Duty Insp. Neilson said.
The suspect was also located dead nearby, and police said and there’s no risk to the public.
“This very much remains an active investigation with many moving parts,” Neilson said.
“As our members continue to work to piece together the circumstances that led to this tragic event, our focus remains on the well-being and safety of those directly involved and impacted.”
While the schools were locked down, Calgary police said they didn’t believe any staff or students were at risk at any time. Investigators continue to speak with witnesses and gather further clues into this set of events. Duty Insp. Neilson said that, at this time, they don’t believe there were any child witnesses to the event.
According to police, the offender has previously been charged and released by the courts with a “no-contact order,” Neilson said. He said there were also active warrants out for the offender. He wasn’t willing to comment on the relationship between the two parties, just that they believe the incident was domestic in nature.
“I mean, it’s terrible, really, right?” Duty Insp Neilson said.
“Here we have a situation where people have done everything right. They’ve engaged the police. We’ve engaged them with services, courts, court support, safety planning, and the whole nine yards, and to have something like this happen outside of a school, obviously, is horrible.”
CPS said they know it’s a traumatic incident that happened in a public place. Their Victim Assistance Support Team has been notified and is ready to help anyone who needs it.
The names of the deceased will not be released in order to protect the privacy of the family, police said.
- With files from Aryn Toombs
