Canadian family “targeted because of their Islamic faith”

Canadian police has said that a hit-and-run driver who killed four pedestrians in Ontario on Sunday targeted the victims because they were Muslim.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, of London, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in a hit and run Sunday involving a pickup truck, according to Canadian media CBC News.

Veltman may also face terrorism charges, Det.-Insp. Paul Waight said at a Monday press conference.

“There is evidence that this was a planned, premeditated act and that the family was targeted because of their Muslim faith,” said Waight.

“This is a devastating loss of four members of our community,” added police Chief Steve Williams at an afternoon news conference.

The names of the victims aren’t being released at this time, at the request of family members.

The family members who died are:

● a 74-year-old woman.
● a 46-year-old man.
● a 44-year-old woman.
● a 15-year-old girl.

A nine-year-old boy remained in hospital with serious injuries.

Police say that at 8:40 p.m. ET, the family was walking along Hyde Park Road and were waiting to cross the intersection, in northwest London, when the truck mounted the curb and struck them.

Police received several 911 calls, and emergency crews quickly attended to the scene in an attempt to save the lives of the victims.

Post-mortems are scheduled for Tuesday at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto.

No previous record

Waight told the news conference it wasn’t certain if the accused was affiliated with any specific hate group. The 20-year-old doesn’t have a previous criminal record.

Veltman was arrested a short distance away from the scene of the crash, at Oxford Street West and Cherryhill Boulevard, near Cherryhill Mall. He was wearing a vest that appeared to be similar to body armour, Waight said.

Police didn’t reveal what, if anything, Veltman said to officers when he was arrested, or why they believed he had targeted the family for their faith.

What witnesses say

Paige Martin, a nearby resident who was driving at around 8:30 p.m. that night to get gas, was stopped at a red light facing southbound when she saw “a flash of black” speed by, shaking her vehicle as it passed.

She proceeded to the gas station. On her way back home, looking in her rearview mirror, she saw cars backed up on Sarnia Road and emergency vehicles arriving.

“It was just chaos, and there were people everywhere running, and citizens just trying to direct emergency vehicles where to go. There was pointing and screaming, and arms waving. It was just absolutely like something that you never want to see,” said Martin.

Kristin, another nearby resident who did not want her last name published for privacy reasons, was at home making dinner with her fiancé when the couple heard the crash. They ran out of the house to investigate, but she didn’t realize how severe the situation was until they saw cars begin to pull over.

Reaction to the tragedy

The Muslim community reacted in horror and shock at what police are investigating as a hate-motivated car attack in London, Ont., on Sunday evening that killed four family members.

Advocates also demanded justice and called for change that would put an end to what has been a string of hate crimes against Muslims in Canada.

“Our hearts are broken, our minds numb with pain,” community leader Nawaz Tahir told CTV News Channel.

London Mayor Ed Holder offered his condolences to the family and the city’s Muslim community.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) called it a terror attack in a statement.

“A man allegedly got in his car, saw a Muslim family walking down the street, and made the decision that they do not deserve to live. He did not know them. This is a terrorist attack on Canadian soil and should be treated as such,” said Mustafa Farooq, the chief executive of the association.