RCMP have charged a second suspect in the fatal shooting of a man on an Alberta highway.
Birinder Singh, 22, was travelling with friends on their way to Banff when he was shot and killed on the QEII Highway south of Leduc on March 14.
Police say 23‑year‑old Deon Libsekal has now been charged with second‑degree murder and accessory after the fact.
Libsekal, who was already in custody on unrelated matters, was arrested in Edmonton last Thursday. He had previously been charged in connection with a separate shooting in Saskatchewan last year.
An 18‑year‑old Lloydminster man, Jimmy Gassner, was arrested in Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan last Tuesday and also faces a second‑degree murder charge.
RCMP Staff Sgt. John Brown says investigators do not believe the attack was motivated by hate or racial bias. Singh’s friends previously told CityNews they thought the attack may have been hate-motivated.
“We have seen no evidence to suggest this attack was motivated by hatred or racial bias against any specific group,” Brown said. “I’m limited in what I can say at this time, but the RCMP have some understanding of the motivations in this case.”
Brown added that investigators also don’t believe the shooting was an act of road rage.
The investigation remains ongoing.