Arizona Coyotes forward Max Domi called for stricter immigration controls following a violent attack in Edmonton, Alberta.
Domi tweeted Sunday night about a Somali refugee who is facing a number of charges, including five counts of attempted murder, dangerous driving and participation in a terrorist activity.
"Really hope everyone in Edmonton is ok. We're behind you. This is why we have to be aware of some of the people we let into our country," said Domi, who added an emoji of a Canadian flag. Domi, the son of former NHL enforcer Tie Domi, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and grew up in the Toronto area.
The attacks occurred Saturday night near Commonwealth Stadium during a game between the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Outside the stadium, police officer Mike Chernyk, with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier and hit his car, sending him flying 15 feet. The driver got out, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing Chernyk, police said. The officer fought back, forcing the suspect to flee on foot.
Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter hours later with the driver, now driving a U-Haul cube van. When the truck pulled over for the checkpoint, the driver produced identification linking him to the registered owner of the Malibu.
He became suspicious when police held him up, and decided to flee. The U-Haul sped off with multiple police cars in pursuit. Police say the suspect drove in the opposite lane, almost T-boned a vehicle and purposely drove into pedestrians, injuring four. Of the four pedestrians, two sustained head injuries including a skull fracture. Two have been released from the hospital, as has Chernyk.
Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said officers took the suspect, later described as a 30-year-old Edmonton man, into custody and he is believed to have acted alone. Knecht said an Islamic State group flag was found in the car that hit the officer, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it a terror attack. "To the best of our knowledge, this was a lone wolf attack," Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said.
The response to Domi's tweet Sunday was mixed, with many people challenging his views. An hour after his first tweet Domi put out a series of statements clarifying his stance.
"The amount of people that turn what I said into something negative is exactly what's wrong with this world," the 22-year-old Domi said.
Added Domi with the hashtag #isis "I was not disrespecting any race or religion. I'm talking about the bad people that can come over here and harm our country. Do you care if anyone comes into our country and causes harm to our friends and family. Seriously. Let's have a conversation about this."
The Associated Press