A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Birinder Singh, a 22-year-old international student from India, during a daytime highway accident near Leduc, south of Edmonton, Canada.Singh was shot on March 14 while driving on Highway 2 near Township Road 490. He died from his injuries later the same day. Investigators say the shooting occurred when someone in a passing pickup truck opened fire on Singh’s car.On Wednesday, Alberta RCMP confirmed that 23-year-old Dion Lipscal has been charged with second-degree murder and accessory to murder in connection with Singh’s death. Lipsical was already in police custody on unrelated charges.These charges follow the previous arrest of 18-year-old Jimmy Gasner, of Lloydminster, Alberta, who was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the same incident. Gassner was arrested near Canoe Lake in Saskatchewan, according to RCMP.Investigators believe all suspects linked to the shooting have now been identified and charged. Gassner and Lipsical both had “some criminal history” and were known to police.
Court records show Lipsical previously faced charges of obstructing a peace officer and failing to provide information to a peace officer.Investigators believe the shooting was a random event and that Gasner and Lipsical did not know Singh or the two other people who were in his car at the time.The World Sikh Organization of Canada, which works to protect the rights of Sikhs in the country, called on police to investigate Singh’s killing as a hate crime.
The organization cited concerns about growing anti-Sikh sentiment across Canada.However, RCMP said there is currently no evidence that the shooting was racially motivated, or related to robbery, gang initiation, road rage or a hate crime. They also said investigators have not ruled out the possibility of mistaken identity or gang affiliation.Alberta RCMP Cpl. Matthew Howell said it was a “very rare case”. He added that people can still feel safe driving on the roads in the province.
