Second suspect charged in connection with QE II shooting

LEDUC -- A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting from Mar. 14 on the QE II near Leduc.

The incident saw 22-year-old Barinder Singh fatally shot while traveling south on the Highway near Township Road 490. On Mar. 21, RCMP arrested 18-year-old Jimmy Gassner in Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan, before sending him back to Alberta to face charges of second-degree murder. It's alleged that Gassner pulled alongside Singh's 2012 Honda Civic and fired two shots into the vehicle. 

On Apr. 1, RCMP held a press conference to provide more details about the case. John Brown, Staff Sergeant of the Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit, says that a second suspect, 23-year-old Deon Libsekal, was arrested in Edmonton.

"He has been charged with second-degree murder and accessory after the fact," said Brown. "He has been taken before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody with his next court date set for April 2, 2026, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Leduc."

In terms of motives, Brown says that police have no reason to believe that the shooting of Barinder Singh was motivated by racial hate, and was in no way tied to any gang activity. Despite this, he notes that more information as to the motivation of Gassner and Libsekal will not be released at this time, as the matter remains before the court. 

"To not undermine the court process, I am limited to what I can say at this time. What I can say, is that RCMP do have some understanding of the motivations in this case," said Brown. "We have seen no evidence to suggest that this attack was motivated by hatred or racial bias against any specific group." 

Libsekal was already in police custody in Edmonton when he was charged in connection with the shooting.