Five dead after University of Calgary student, son of cop, goes on stabbing spree at party: police
The Alberta city's police chief called the slayings the 'worst mass murder in Calgary's history' after five were slashed to death early Tuesday. The 22-year-old suspect, Matthew de Grood, was an invited guest to the party and is the son of a 33-year veteran of the Calgary police force, cops said.
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A 22-year-old University of Calgary student went on a stabbing rampage at an off-campus party early Tuesday, leaving five of his peers dead in what the Canadian city’s police chief called the “worst mass murder in Calgary’s history.”
Matthew de Grood is also the son of a 33-year veteran of the Calgary police force, Chief Rick Hanson said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. No motive was offered about the brutal slayings at an all-day house party celebrating the end of the school year.
The slash-happy student left his job at a grocery store before he arrived at the party at 11 Butler Crescent N.W., a house just north of the campus where de Grood was an invited guest.
About 20 people were still at the gathering when the knife-wielding student arrived.
Cops were called to the gruesome scene about 1:20 a.m. Tuesday.
“The suspect arrived at the party, obtained a large knife and targeted the victims one by one, stabbing them several times,” Hanson said. “When our officers arrived, three young men were discovered deceased in the home.”
A woman found critically injured inside the home died of her wounds at the hospital, while a man found near death outside on a lawn later died as well, Hanson added.
A police K-9 tracked the suspect and bit de Grood during the arrest. The man was treated at a local hospital before being released to police custody, where he was later charged with five counts of murder.
Cops said the five dead are a 22-year-old Priddis, Alberta, man; a 23-year-old woman from Calgary; and two men, ages 23 and 27, from Calgary.
Their identities have yet to be released publicly, and police are still scratching their heads about what set off the madman.
We have never seen five people killed by an individual at one scene, so the scene was horrific.
It doesn’t appear de Grood was drunk or high on drugs, either, cops said.
“Nothing at all would indicate that there was an event that occurred earlier that precipitated what happened,” Hanson told reporters.
The man brought “an instrument,” described as a weapon, to the party, but used a knife he found inside of the house for his slash spree, Hanson said.
None of the victims nor the suspect had ever before had contact with cops, Hanson said.
“These were all good kids. There’s no question about that,” the chief said of the victims. “They did nothing wrong, and nothing that they did contributed to what happened to them.”
An emotional Hanson said he had spoken to the purported perp's cop dad, who is “devastated” and “heartbroken” over what his son has allegedly done.
The students were celebrating “Bermuda Shorts Day,” named for the last day of classes, with a backyard barbecue, a neighbor told CTV News Channel.
“It was like a normal gathering; it wasn’t loud, it wasn’t unruly. Around dusk, they moved inside, and then we didn’t really hear anything,” Doug Jones told the TV station. “We woke up this morning to yellow tape in the back alley here. I was in shock when the reporters told us what happened.”
The investigation continues as cops continue to speak with witnesses, Hanson said.
“This is the worst mass murder in Calgary’s history,” he said. “We have never seen five people killed by an individual at one scene, so the scene was horrific.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/university-calgary-student-stabs-5-dead-off-campus-party-police-article-1.1757298#ixzz2z6ms8Prz