Double homicide suspect found dead near Calgary

A dangerous person alert issued for Calgary and surrounding areas on Monday was cancelled after police found the suspect of a double homicide over the weekend dead northwest of the city.

Calgary police's emergency alert for Benedict Kaminski, 38, described him as armed and dangerous.

Later in the day, police said tips from the public pointed officers to the Water Valley area, roughly 60 kilometres northwest of Calgary. Kaminski was found dead near his vehicle.

Officials say they are no longer looking for a suspect in relation to the deaths of a father and daughter on Sunday, and no further information is available at this time.

The dangerous person alert was issued following the discovery of the bodies of a man in his 70s and a woman in her 30s on Sunday at two different locations. 

Police had originally said the public was not at risk given the deaths are believed to have been targeted and domestic in nature, but on Monday afternoon, Insp. Lee Wayne explained the reasoning behind issuing the alert.

"We don't want anyone to interact with this individual," he told reporters at a news conference about the investigation.

"We go through a risk assessment process at every stage of an investigation, and once we start to see sudden behaviours or concerns getting raised, we then look towards utilizing the public and alerting them to risks."

Wayne said the victims are believed to be Kaminski's wife and her father.

"That's what we believe at the current time," he told media.

WATCH | Calgary police provide update before the alert was cancelled: 

Calgary police provide update on dangerous person alert

4 days ago

Duration 10:03

Insp. Lee Wayne with the Calgary Police Service speaks to reporters about the dangerous person alert issued in a double homicide investigation.

Kaminski was not previously known to police and had no prior criminal convictions, he said. Police have not said how the other two people died, but Wayne said Kaminski was a licensed gun owner who had access to firearms.

Police first responded to reports of a person in medical distress in the 0-100 block of Kincora Grove N.W. around 9:30 p.m. local time on Sunday. When officers arrived, police say they found a man in his 70s who was dead.

At 11:15 p.m., they found a second victim in the 300-block of Tuscany Ridge Heights N.W.

Wayne said the timeline of the killings was unclear, but other family members were safe and receiving support.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support the slain woman's family.

Autopsies for both homicide victims are scheduled for Friday.