Kyle Carlisle Brett, who would have turned 22 next week, was shot and killed behind the wheel of his car Wednesday night in a Falconridge alley that opens onto Grant MacEwan Elementary School.
Yellow crime scene tape and uniformed police searching the school's field for a murder weapon struck a disturbing image for students and parents Thursday.Rosalie Allard, whose son is a Grade 2 student at the school, said she debated whether to take him to classes Thursday morning after she heard about the shooting."I phoned over and talked to the principal, and they said that he would be safe," she said.Police say they're hoping people close to Brett will come forward to tell them about his lifestyle."He's a victim.Somebody has taken his life, a family is mourning his loss and it's our job to find who's responsible," said Acting Staff Sgt. Patty McCallum of the homicide unit.According to Alberta Justice, Brett had a criminal record; he most recently pleaded guilty to drug charges in June.He originally faced two drug charges -- simple possession and possession for the purpose of trafficking-- stemming from an incident in March.As a result, he was banned from owning a cellphone or drug paraphernalia, but was later charged with breaching those orders.Brett pleaded guilty to the breaches and both drug charges, but the trafficking charge was dropped to possession and he was fined $1,250.It's too early for police to declare whether the shooting is random or if Brett was targeted, "but there's not a lot of evidence to suggest it's random," said McCallum. "Whether it is gang-related, I can't say with certainty."Police wouldn't say if they found any items in Brett's car that would lead them to believe he was in the middle of a drug transaction.Police say they are confident they will gain a clearer picture of what happened to Brett in his final hours.The drama unfolded Wednesday night after three teenage boys yelled for help."They were yelling saying, 'My friend's been shot,' " said Myrna Erickson, who lives across the street from the school on Falshire Drive."They were panicking."He was found alone slumped in the driver's seat of his parked car in a darkened alley.Erickson said she worries about drug activity in the neighbourhood and says she's frequently approached by drug dealers."The sad part about it is this is so close to an elementary school."Allard added the recent string of violence around the city means all Calgary citizens--whether in the northeast or elsewhere--are at risk of being affected."It can happen in anybody's neighbourhood," Allard said.Brett's death is the 11th homicide of the year in Calgary.