Father charged after 2 Calgary children die
Man arrested, woman taken to hospital
Last Updated: Saturday, November 28, 2009 | 10:12 PM MT
CBC News
Officers gathered evidence at the scene Saturday. (CBC)Calgary police say a man has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder following the deaths of his two children in the city's northwest.
James Bing Jun Louie, 43, was charged Saturday and will appear in court on Monday morning.
Police said they got a 911 call from a home in the Panorama Hills neighbourhood at around 9 p.m. MT Friday.
Officers forced their way inside when there was no answer at the door, where they found the body of a 13-year-old boy.
They then discovered a man and woman fighting and quickly intervened.
"It is our firm belief that the rapid intervention of our officers interrupted a potential homicide," Calgary police Chief Rick Hanson said Saturday.
The body of a nine-year-old girl was also discovered after a search of the house.
The children's mother was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Their father remains in custody.
"We believe these were domestic-related homicides and we're not looking for anyone else in connection with this case," Hanson said.
He confirmed that the family was not known to Calgary police.
Police have not said how the children died.
Calgary was hit by a fast-moving snowstorm Friday afternoon, which reduced visibility to near zero, and coated streets with a layer of snow and ice. Roads were closed and police were swamped with emergency calls.
Hanson said officers responded as quickly as they could.
"From the time the call came in to the time our officers forced their way into the house was approximately 16 minutes," he said.
Neighbours shocked
Meanwhile, those living in the community were in shock Saturday.
April Boutin lives just two doors down from the home where the incident took place.
"It was shocking, very shocking. I just wanted to go hug my two kids and just know that they were safe," she said.
Boutin moved in one month ago, and said she doesn't know the family involved.
Susan Habib, another neighbour, said she was having a tough time understanding how something so tragic could happen so close to home.
"We don't really know those people. It's just shocking. I feel not safe, not that safe."
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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