3 adults and 1 teen dead, child in hospital with serious injuries from Sunday incident
By CBC News
(CBC) A 20-year-old man was charged Monday with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in a hit and run Sunday involving a pickup truck, in what London, Ont., police believe was a targeted attack on a Muslim family of five.
Terrorism charges are also possible against Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, said Det.-Insp. Paul Waight at a news conference. Veltman appeared in court via video link Monday afternoon. “There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act and that the family was targeted because of their Muslim faith,” said Waight.
“This is a devastating loss of four members of our community,” added police Chief Steve Williams at an afternoon news conference. The names of the victims aren’t being released at this time, at the request of family members. The family members who died are:
- a 74-year-old woman.
- a 46-year-old man.
- a 44-year-old woman.
- a 15-year-old girl.
A nine-year-old boy remained in hospital with serious injuries. Police say that at 8:40 p.m. ET, the family was walking along Hyde Park Road and were waiting to cross the intersection, in northwest London, when the truck mounted the curb and struck them. Police received several 911 calls, and emergency crews quickly attended to the scene in an attempt to save the lives of the victims. Post-mortems are scheduled for Tuesday at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. Reaction to the tragedy has been pouring in from community and interest groups, and politicians. London Mayor Ed Holder offered his condolences to the family and the city’s Muslim community.