Publication date: November 16, 2022 • 8 minutes ago • 3 minutes read 5 Comments Kelsey Ouellette, 31, was fatally shot in a downtown Edmonton parking lot on November 5, 2022. Edmonton police are seeking the public’s help in solving this homicide. Photo provided by /Edmonton Police Service

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Edmonton police believe a “life-changing” event six months ago may have played a role in the violent death of a woman.

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But homicide detectives investigating the death of Kelsey Ouellette — who was shot to death in a vehicle near Jasper Avenue earlier this month — are refusing to release more details. Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

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“We’re confident that people who are aware of this event and the events surrounding it will understand what it is,” said Det. Jared Buhler told reporters Wednesday. “To be honest, I’m talking directly to the people who know about this fact, because those are the people whose information we need.” Officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired near Jasper Avenue and 116th Street around 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 and Ouellette, 31, was bleeding in her vehicle from multiple gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Through police, Ouellette’s parents made an emotional plea for information Wednesday.

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“There are no words to convey the experience of losing a loved one the way Kelsey was taken from us,” they said. “Our daughter was a beautiful, intelligent and vibrant woman who loved life, family, friends and children. We desperately need answers as to why she was taken from us.”

Burnt vehicle

Investigators released video Wednesday of a suspect vehicle, a white Toyota SUV, that was in the area at the time of Ouellette’s murder. In the footage, the SUV is seen driving down an alley next to a parking lot. Police also released a photo of the shell of a white 2016 Toyota Highlander that was found burning near 259th Avenue and 18th Street at about 8:45 p.m. the night of the shooting. Buhler said there is a strong possibility that the burned SUV and the suspect vehicle are one and the same – although the forensic work is still ongoing.

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The vehicle was confirmed stolen from northwest Calgary in August and a license plate was stolen from west Edmonton in early October. The stolen Alberta plate, CKP 5569, was ticketed on Oct. 21, on Yellowhead Trail westbound at 107th Street. Edmonton released a photo of a white 2016 Toyota Highlander that was found burning in the area of ​​259 Avenue and 18 Street at approximately 8:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2022. The car may be related to the death of Kelsey Ouellette, 31, from shooting, earlier that evening. Photo by Supplied /Edmonton Police Service Buhler said the Toyota Highlander was clearly in use after it was stolen and would have been parked in the Edmonton area in October and November. “If anyone recognizes this vehicle or remembers seeing a similar vehicle parked in an unusual or temporary location, we are asking them to contact us.” “Similarly, if anyone remembers seeing an unusual vehicle in and around the burn site, that information could also be helpful.” Anyone with security or dash cam footage of the suspect vehicles or Ouellette’s killing is also asked to contact police.

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“planned ambush”

Buhler described the shooting that killed Ouellette as a “planned ambush against a defenseless victim.” He declined to release additional information about who she was, but said Ouellet lived in the area where she was killed and had experienced a “life-changing event” six months before her death. “We have come to believe that the circumstances and events surrounding this event may be connected to her murder. While I cannot speak specifically to the nature of these events, we are now confident that there are individuals who knew Kelsey who will recognize these circumstances.” “To those individuals and others with knowledge of this information who we expect are following this story … we urge you to contact the police immediately.”

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While “there were people in Kelsey’s orbit who are well known to the police,” she was “no more than you or I,” Buhler added. The people detectives appeal to aren’t the type to readily provide information to police, Buhler said. However, he hopes the facts of the case may lead them to make an exception. “I think it’s fair to say that this case is extraordinary in that the victim doesn’t necessarily appear to have been directly involved in criminal activity herself, but for some reason she was targeted,” Buhler said. “There’s reason to believe that people in those communities might be willing to talk to us, when they might not otherwise, because of the fact that people were willing to … target someone on the periphery of that activity.” [email protected] twitter.com/jonnywakefield Map of the location where Edmonton patrol officers responded to reports of a shooting on November 5, 2022. When officers arrived they found 31-year-old Kelsey Ouellette, who had been fatally shot. Photo by Edmonton Police Service / Provided Map of the location of the burned 2016 white Toyota Highlander in the area of ​​259 Avenue and 18th Street on November 5, 2022 Photo by Edmonton Police / Provided

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