oh canada yet again, it's gone wild now
'Horrific': Police say 5 family members run down in London were targeted because they were Muslims
Police in London, Ont. say that five family members who were mowed down by a driver while they were out for a walk Sunday night were targeted because they were Muslim.
The family was out for a walk in London’s north end at around 8:40 p.m. They were walking along Hyde Park Road near South Carriage Road when a southbound black pickup truck occupied by a single male mounted the sidewalk and struck them as they waited to cross the intersection, police said.
“I'm also able to tell you at this time that based on information collected during the course of the investigation, we believe that this was an intentional act, and that the victims of this horrific incident were targeted,” London Police Chief Stephen Williams told reporters Monday. “We believe the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith.”
Four members of the family died from their injuries: a 74 year-old woman, a 46-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, and a 15-year-old girl.
A nine-year-old boy is the sole survivor and remains in hospital with serious injuries.
The attack was pre-planned and pre-meditated and the suspect was wearing a vest that appeared to be like body armour during the attack, police said.
He was arrested without incident at a mall about seven kilometres away from where the family was struck.
A 20-year-old London man identified by police as Nathaniel Veltman is now in custody in connection with the attack. He has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.