Police have charged a 42-year-old man with first-degree murder in the death of a woman who was found shot to death in downtown Edmonton over the weekend.

Priscilla McGreer, 39, was found inside a vehicle Saturday morning, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds.

Police said officers had been called to reports of gunshots in the 119th Street and Jasper Avenue area just before 4:30 a.m. and found McGreer’s body inside an SUV. 

Streets along Jasper Avenue were shut down to traffic for several hours Saturday morning as part of the investigation. 

An autopsy was completed Monday and determined McGreer died of gunshot wounds and that the manner of her death was homicide, police said. 

Homicide detectives arrested and charged Kyle Laumen, of Edmonton, with first-degree murder in McGreer’s death. He was also charged with aggravated assault and breach of probation.

Police said McGreer and Laumen were known to one another.

String of suspicious deaths 

McGreer’s death is among a string of suspicious deaths in the city over the long weekend that are now under investigation by the city’s homicide detectives. 

Around 8:30 a.m. Saturday, officers were called to the area of 104th Street and 85th Avenue, responding to reports of a man in medical distress.

An 82-year-old man, found in the backyard of a nearby home, was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries. An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday. 

On Sunday, around 7:30 a.m., a man’s body was found in Edmonton’s river valley. Police said his death is considered suspicious and an autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday. 

Later Sunday afternoon, police responded to another fatal scene. Firefighters responding to a house fire in the Montrose neighbourhood, in the area of in the area of 59th Street and 119th Avenue, found a body inside the burning home.

Police said no arrests have been made but detectives want to speak with a resident who captured a video of the fire that has been circulating on social media. An image of the video, shared by police, shows a house engulfed in flames overlaid with text that indicates that the fire was ignited after a verbal argument. 

Investigators have not released any details on the identity of the deceased. 

Anyone with information on the crimes is urged to contact police or Crime Stoppers.Â