Family of mass-murder suspect offers tearful condolences

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CALGARY (NEWS1130) – The family of the suspect in Calgary’s worst mass murder in city history made a tearful statement Thursday afternoon.

Calgary Police veteran Doug de Grood, father of accused Matthew de Grood, appeared with his wife on the steps of his son’s lawyer’s office.

Doug de Grood was visibly shaking, his wife holding his arm tightly.

“We are deeply saddened for the what the families and friends of the victims are going through. Your lives have been turned upside down. We know words cannot begin to ease your pain and suffering. Please accept our deepest condolences, and know you are in our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers,” he said.

He said his son Matthew was a good kid, and had a bright future ahead of him.

“Just like you, we struggle to understand what happened,” he said.

He went on to say the family will never recover from this, but the collective support has helped ease some of the pain.

His emotional words follow another update from police about the investigation into Tuesday’s mornings stabbings in Brentwood that left five young people dead.

Investigators confirmed the identities of the four men and one woman who died, and CPS spokesman Kevin Brookwell said two of them were living in the Brentwood home at the time of the attacks.

He says the suspect knew at least one person at the party.

“Certainly motive is something that we’re trying to determine right now. He was at the party. He was a welcome guest at the party. He was mingling with the people that were at the party. When the attack happened, why it happened, and who got attacked — those are details that will certainly come out,” he said.

He said Matthew de Grood arrived at the home after his shift at a grocery store, but did not know if he made any stops along the way.

Brookwell said the attacks were not provoked by any of the victims and it’s still unclear if anyone tried to intervene.

He said the mental health of de Grood and his communications with others before he arrived at the party are forming a major part of the investigation.

Full statement from de Grood family:

“I am Douglas de Grood and I am an inspector with the Calgary Police Service, but I am here today not as a police officer, but as a parent and a husband. I speak for my wife, Susan de Grood, as we are one voice.

We are shocked and devastated and we are trying to make sense of what happened.

We are deeply saddened for what the families and friends of the victims are going through. Your lives have been turned upside down. We know words cannot begin to ease your pain and suffering. Please accept our deepest condolences and know you are in our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers.

Our condolences also go out to the first responders who attended the scene. You had to detach from your emotions to do your job. Your professionalism was exceptional.

Like any parent can tell you, a love for your child is unconditional and we love Matthew dearly.

Our Matthew is a great kid, full of love, kindness and respect for others. Growing up, he received good grades in school and was active in a variety of sports. As a young adult, he got a part-time job, entered university and became more involved in the community. He raised funds for charities through his passion for running. He had a bright future ahead of him as he was about to start law school in the fall.

Just like you, we struggle to understand what happened. We have received an outpouring of support from our extended families, our friends and neighbours, co-workers and even people we have never met. We thank each one of you for your support. We will never recover from this, but the collective support has helped ease some of the pain.

We hope someday we will have answers as to why this happened. Regardless, it won’t bring the victims back, but we would give anything to do just that.
Our final words are to you, the media. We ask that you respect our family’s privacy as we deal with this tragedy.

Thank you for your co-operation.”

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