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SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. -- Police say only one of two explosions that rocked a parkade east of Edmonton earlier this week was deliberate, and they say the suspect who died after the incident shot himself.

RCMP had already identified Kane Kosolowsky, 21, as the man who was discovered injured Tuesday evening in a vehicle at a complex in Sherwood Park that houses Strathcona County's civic offices, a library and a restaurant.

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He died later in hospital.

Investigators now say the initial explosion was intentional, and that the suspect returned to his vehicle and then suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

They say the first explosion damaged a number of nearby vehicles, and that a second blast occurred when a gas tank in one of those vehicles caught fire.

Police say they still don't have a motive, and they continue to say they aren't seeking any other suspects.

"The RCMP Explosive Disposal Unit and Special Tactical Operations spent three days searching the buildings and surrounding area for additional threats to public safety. No additional threats were located," a police news release issued Saturday stated.

The second blast happened after police arrived, but no one else was injured in the explosions.

RCMP have said there's no indication Kosolowsky was connected with any group or ideology.

The man's family said in a statement Thursday that what happened was out of character for him and they are shocked and devastated.

Police said Saturday that the Kosolowsky family has cooperated fully with the investigation, and that their thoughts are with his loved ones as they also search for answers.

The release said forensic examiners are working to determine the type of explosive that was used for the first blast, but that investigation is expected to take several weeks.

An examination of the suspect's vehicle led to the seizure of multiple firearms, the release said, but no additional explosives were found in his vehicle or any other vehicles.

About 600 employees work out of the county building, but the county's mayor, Rod Frank, said most of them had gone for the day when the blasts occurred.

The library was open at the time and was safely evacuated.</s>Four days after a pair of explosions shook a community centre in the heart of Sherwood Park, Alta., RCMP said they can now confirm the initial blast was deliberately planned.

“We can now confirm that Kane Kosolowsky purposely caused an explosion underneath a half-tonne truck on the lower level parkade using a substance that is yet to be determined,” Supt. Dave Kalist of the Strathcona County RCMP said at a news conference late Saturday morning.

Kosolowsky, 21, was found seriously injured after the initial explosion Tuesday night and was taken to hospital where he later died from a gunshot wound. On Saturday, Kalist confirmed Kosolowsky shot himself. He is believed to have shot himself after he went back to his vehicle following the first detonation.

A motive for the first detonation remains unknown, Kalist told reporters.

“The Kosolowsky family has cooperated fully with the RCMP investigation and our thoughts are with them as they also search for answers,” police said in a news release issued on Saturday.

READ MORE: Man, 21, dead after blast led police to car packed with explosives in Sherwood Park

Watch below: Global News has learned a deadly explosion triggered a major police response in Sherwood Park, Alberta on Tuesday night. On Nov. 7, 2018, Mercedes Stephenson filed this report.

Police said Saturday that the first explosion caused damage to several vehicles in the parkade. The gas tank of one of those vehicles caught fire, triggering the second blast.

“Several items have been seized and a forensic examination to determine what type of explosive was used will be carried out,” police said. “RCMP will not speculate on what was used. This examination is expected to take several weeks.

“An examination of the suspect vehicle led to the seizure of multiple firearms. No additional explosives were found in his vehicle or any other vehicles.”

After three days of officers searching the surrounding buildings and areas near where the explosions occurred, police said “no additional threats were located.”

“At this time, no specific motives have been identified and RCMP continue to investigate reasons as to why this event occurred. This act appears to have been carried out by one suspect and police are not currently seeking any additional suspects.”

Police said Saturday that the RCMP Major Crime Unit has now returned control of the parkade to Strathcona County although officers remain on scene to help with security.

READ MORE: Opening date for Strathcona County Community Centre still in flux after explosions Tuesday

Watch below: It could be close to another week before the Strathcona County Community Complex reopens to the public after Tuesday’s blasts. Friday, county staff had an update. Fletcher Kent reports.

On Friday, officials said there is still no firm date in place as to when the Strathcona County Community Centre will reopen to the public

Rod Frank, the mayor of Strathcona County, is expected to speak to reporters on Saturday afternoon.

Sherwood Park is a large community located just east of Edmonton.</s>The man suspected of setting off an explosion in a Sherwood Park community centre parkade had multiple firearms in his vehicle, RCMP said at a news conference Saturday morning.

A motive for the explosion — and what 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky intended to do with the firearms — remains unclear and might never be known, RCMP Supt. Dave Kalist said.

Two explosions happened in the parkade of the Strathcona Community Centre the evening of Nov. 6. The first explosion was deliberate, RCMP said. It damaged nine other vehicles nearby and ignited the gas tank of one of them, causing a second explosion.

After the first explosion, Kosolowsky returned to his vehicle and suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He later died in hospital. Police are not seeking any other suspects.
• Man linked to Sherwood Park blasts died from gunshot wound, police say

No one was injured in the explosions.

More than five firearms were found in Kosolowsky's vehicle, Kalist confirmed Saturday morning. These included shotguns, hunting rifles and handguns. All were "properly" registered, Kalist said.

No additional explosives were found in that vehicle, or any other vehicles.

The RCMP's explosives and tactical teams spent three days searching the building and the surrounding areas for any additional threats to public safety, but none were found.

New information about the explosions comes four days after the incident, because forensic examination of the blast site did not start until Friday afternoon, Kalist said.

"As such, RCMP had very little information to share about the explosions until today," he said.

Several items were seized from Kosolowsky's home and a forensic examination will be done to determine what type of explosive was used. This is expected to take several weeks, RCMP say.

The suspect's family has "cooperated fully" with the investigation," RCMP said in a media release.

Police remain on scene at the parkade to assist with security, but their on scene is complete.

The community centre remains closed, but the parkade is back under control of Strathcona County. The county is working to get vehicles inside back to their owners, Mayor Rod Frank said in a statement Saturday.

But first, structural and contamination assessments of the parkade have to be done.</s>SHERWOOD PARK—Police are still working to determine what substance or device was used in an explosion that was deliberately set underneath a half-tonne truck in a parkade at a Sherwood Park community centre on Tuesday. At a Saturday media availability, Strathcona County RCMP Supt. Dave Kalist said the suspect, 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky, intentionally set the initial explosion under a truck on a lower level parkade sometime before 6:30 p.m. The truck was parked in a row of nine other vehicles, all of which were damaged extensively.

The initial blast caused a secondary explosion after a vehicle’s gas tank ignited two stalls away at about 8:15 p.m. “This secondary explosion was not deliberately set, and no emergency personnel or bystanders were injured,” Kalist said. Police seized more than five firearms from Kosolowsky’s vehicle, including hunting rifles, a shotgun and handguns. All of the firearms were properly registered.

“No additional explosives were found in Kosolowsky’s vehicle … Emergency personnel found Kosolowsky suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was evacuated to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries,” Kalist said. The RCMP’s Explosives Disposal Unit and Special Tactical Operations teams stayed on the scene for three days to ensure there were no additional threats, after blocking off the community centre and county hall. Elk Island Public Schools closed two nearby schools at the request of RCMP. Police say forensic analysis of the debris at the scene could take weeks, and they will not speculate on the exact nature, mechanism or substance used to cause the explosion. Kalist said police are confident Kosolowsky was the only perpetrator and that there’s no further threat to the community. He added that county and forensic investigators have completed an initial examination of the community centre and county hall and said there’s no indication of any structural damage to the building, although they plan to carry out a more detailed examination.

Police have not found any motive for the explosion. Investigators have talked to friends, co-workers and family members and have also combed through Kosolowsky’s social media, which provided no answers. “It may be that we will never fully know what his motives were for this incident,” Kalist said.

No shots were fired from police in the incident. Kalist addressed community concerns that not enough information about the incident was released by police as the incident initially unfolded. “What I’d really like the public to understand was that until yesterday, when the search of the site was completed, we still had an active incident that we were managing,” he said. “We simply did not want to put out information that we could not confirm. We were dealing with an active incident,” he added. For safety reasons, police kept the area closed off because they didn’t know if there were any other incendiary devices that were a threat to police or the public. Police did not complete forensic examination of the explosion site didn’t start until Friday afternoon because they weren’t sure if the county hall area was safe until that time. RCMP returned control of the community hall parkade to Strathcona County on Friday evening at 10:45 p.m., although police remain on scene to provide help with security. In a statement, Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank said the county is working to get the damaged vehicles back to their owners. “Before that happens, we must complete an indoor contamination assessment of the parkade and vehicles to properly understand any health risks as a result of the explosion,” the statement said. “We must also complete a more detailed structural assessment.” Most of the vehicles appear to be in good enough shape to still be driveable. The county has more than 100 vehicles to remove from the parkade. Work is underway to repair any damage to the community centre. Councillors walked through the building yesterday and the mayor said he was relieved to see the damage was not more extensive. The county is expecting results from environmental testing of the site on Tuesday. Omar Mosleh is an Edmonton-based reporter covering inner-city issues, affordable housing and reconciliation. Follow him on Twitter: @OmarMosleh</s>RCMP provided an update Saturday morning surrounding the investigation into the explosions that rocked the Strathcona County Community Centre Tuesday night.

Mounties now say that of the two explosions that occurred on the lower level of the Community Centre parkade, only the first one was deliberate.

That initial explosion damaged multiple vehicles nearby, and as a result the gas tank of one of the vehicles caught fire and caused a second explosion.

Following the first explosion, the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky, returned to his vehicle and suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He later died in hospital.

Inside the suspect’s vehicle, multiple firearms were seized. No additional explosives were found at the scene.

Police have seized several items and a forensic examination that is expected to take place this month should determine what type of explosives were used.

For the past three days, the RCMP Explosive Disposal Unit and Special Tactical Operations searched the buildings and surrounding area for additional threats to public safety. None were identified.

At this time, no specific motives have been found and RCMP say the act appears to have been carried out by Kosolowsky alone.

The parkade has since been turned over to Strathcona County. Police remain on scene providing assistance with security.

The mayor is expected to provide another update to media on Saturday afternoon.</s>The explosion that rocked a community centre parkade in Sherwood Park earlier this week originated underneath a half ton truck and damaged nine cars parked in the same row, causing a second vehicle’s gas tank to explode two stalls away, police confirmed Saturday.

Speaking to media at the Sherwood Park detachment on Saturday morning, RCMP Supt. Dave Kalist confirmed, for the first time, that “more than five” registered firearms — including hunting rifles, shotguns and handguns — were discovered in a vehicle belonging to Kane Kosolowsky, the deceased suspect.

They also confirmed Kosolowsky died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police have not determined the material used to cause the first explosion, which they say Kosolowsky set purposefully, or how it was ignited. Nor have they found a motive, despite interviewing friends, family and coworkers and trawling through electronic devices found at the man’s home.

Kalist said forensic analysis of the debris could take weeks.

Police have not determined any motives for the crime.

“At this time, we do not have any specific motive as to why Kosolowsky caused the explosion, or what his intentions were with the firearms in his possession.”

“While we may never know the true motives of Kane Kosolowsky, I would personally like to thank the family for their continued cooperation in what must be a devastating time.”

Kalist confirmed they are not seeking any additional suspects. They do not know whether Kosolowsky had a specific target.

While Mounties have not identified any motive for the attack, the fact the RCMP major crimes unit is leading the investigation, rather than the force’s integrated national security enforcement team (INSET), offers some indication of law enforcement thinking.

RCMP K Division spokesman Fraser Logan said earlier this week the major crimes unit is handling the investigation because “there is no indication that this incident is related to any group or ideology.”

Emergency responders believe they were initially dealing with a fire when they were called to the Strathcona County Community Centre after 6 p.m. Tuesday.

People were evacuated from other buildings in the city centre as RCMP with long guns scoured the area.

The next afternoon, RCMP confirmed they were dealing with what they believed was a deliberately set explosion.

They asked members of the public not to speculate about what happened, despite what some saw as unnecessary delays in the official response.

In a statement issued through the RCMP Thursday, members of Kosolowsky’s family said they were shocked and devastated by what happened, and that the events were out of character.

Kalist defended the RCMP’s communications timeline, saying that even as recently as Friday, they were dealing with an active crime scene and working to confirm there were no additional explosive devices.

“We simply did not want to put out information we could not confirm. We were not able to even go into the investigative forensic examination phase until yesterday afternoon,” he said Saturday.</s>Kane Kosolowsky died of gunshot wounds after being found in the parkade east of Edmonton, police said

RCMP released the name of the suspect in a set of explosions in Sherwood Park on Thursday as 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky.

Police first responded to reports of an explosion in a community centre parkade, east of Edmonton, on Tuesday evening. Kosolowsky was discovered suffering from gunshot wounds at about 6:30 p.m.

He was taken to hospital where he later died, police said. It’s not clear if the injuries were self-inflicted.

A second explosion had happened about two hours earlier, in the same parkade. No one was injured in either blast.

In a statement issued through police, Kosolowsky’s family said they are “shocked and devastated by the unfortunate incident,” and are working the RCMP.

“We are thankful that there were no other persons harmed in this unexpected incident. The events that occurred are totally out of character for Kane and we trust that the authorities will continue a thorough investigation to provide the answers we are all seeking,” the statement read. The family asked for privacy.

Investigators are not looking for any other suspects and the public is in no danger. Schools and core buildings in the area remain closed.

@ashwadhwani ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>Strathcona County officials are set to outline their plans Friday afternoon to reopen the community centre, which has been closed since two explosions rocked the area Tuesday night.

The community centre in Sherwood Park also houses the library and county hall. While police tape has come down and roads surrounding the complex have reopened, the community centre remained closed to the public on Friday.

Fire investigators and police remained at the scene.

EXCLUSIVE: Man, 21, dead after blast led police to car packed with explosives in Sherwood Park

County officials said earlier this week the building’s structural integrity would need to be looked at to determine if and when it was safe to reopen.

Emergency crews responded to the Strathcona County Community Centre east of Edmonton at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to reports of a fire. On Wednesday, RCMP confirmed there were two explosions, one before police were called to the scene and another at around 8:15 p.m.

READ MORE: Tannerite reportedly found at Sherwood Park explosion scene. What is it?

The initial explosion led police to a car packed with explosives and a man with severe injuries, Global News learned. The 21-year-old man, who has been identified as Kane Kosolowsky, later died. An autopsy determined Kosolowsky died from a gunshot wound.

Watch below: Ongoing Global News coverage of the explosions in Sherwood Park Tuesday night and the ongoing RCMP investigation

Two schools in the area that were closed to students on Wednesday and Thursday were open on Friday.

READ MORE: Sherwood park schools to reopen, community centre remains closed after explosions

Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank and the director of emergency services Jeff Hutton will speak about the status of the community centre complex and plans to reopen the buildings at 3:45 p.m. MT Friday.

Global News will live stream the media availability in this post.</s>Schools in Sherwood Park that were closed for two days after two explosions rocked the Strathcona County Community Centre Tuesday evening will reopen Friday.

In a news release, the mayor said classes at area schools would resume Friday morning.

St Theresa School and Salisbury Composite High School were closed Wednesday and Thursday.

“We will have counsellors and school psychologists onsite as we welcome the students back.”

Due to police-related investigative closures, parents driving their kids to school must use “the appropriate side/west area parent drop-off and avoid the front of the building.”

Extra-curricular activities at St Theresa will be cancelled until after the long weekend.

Watch: The suspect in Tuesday’s explosions in Sherwood Park has been identified as 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky. Kendra Slugoski has more on what we know about the suspect so far.

Mayor Rod Frank also said Festival Place would be open again on Friday.

While the Community Centre – which houses the library, Vicky’s Bistro, and county hall – has been turned back over to the county, the parkade is still secured by police, Frank said.

Anyone whose vehicle is in the parkade is asked to leave their name and contact information with county staff by calling 780-417-7100.

On Thursday afternoon, RCMP identified the suspect in the blasts as 21-year-old Kane Kosolowsky. He was found by officers in a car in the parkade shortly after the first explosion. He had severe, life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital where he later died, RCMP said, adding his injuries “were not related to police interaction.”

No other injuries were reported and no further suspects are being sought, RCMP said.

READ MORE: Man, 21, dead after blast led police to car packed with explosives in Sherwood Park

The mayor said a structural survey on the community complex has been done and plans are being made for any structural repairs and cleaning that may be needed.

Frank said the County Hall is expected to open late next week. He couldn’t offer a date or timeline for when the Community Centre building might reopen.

“Residents are encouraged to attend Remembrance Day services at Millennium Place rather than the County Hall cenotaph this year,” Frank added.

READ MORE: Few details released as ‘fluid investigation’ at Sherwood Park community centre continues

Updates would be posted on the county’s website, he said.

“I am continually inspired by the commitment and cooperative spirit of our employees, and our community. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work and patience as we work through these challenging times,” Frank said.

Watch: The mayor of Strathcona County was inside the community centre when the first explosion occurred. He speaks to media Wednesday afternoon.

Rylee Johnson, a Salisbury student, said the last few days have been worrying.

“It’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not true and what to believe because we haven’t heard any definitive statements,” he said Thursday.

“It’s hard to study and keep positive thinking when there are all these rumours and speculation.

Caleb Hesse, another Salisbury student, has been spending time at Millennium Place since school has been closed.

“It’s a little scary. You don’t see stuff like this happening in Sherwood Park ever. A lot of this stuff — it just doesn’t happen. It’s a little worrying. It’s such a small town so you could know the people who got hurt and we were just worrying what’s going on.”</s>Life in Sherwood Park is returning to normal after “three harrowing days” following a pair of explosions in the parkade of the community centre and the death of a 21-year-old man, Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank said Friday.

Frank said the RCMP had turned control of the community centre complex and town hall back over to the county but both will remain closed for an indeterminate period of time.

The parkade at the centre of the explosions remains an active crime scene and will remain closed indefinitely. About 100 vehicles remain in the facility.

Mounties have linked the two explosions Tuesday night to Kane Kosolowsky, a man who died as the result of a gunshot wound. He was found injured in the parkade and transported to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Frank said Kosolowksy had never been an employee of Strathcona County.

“We’ve come through three harrowing days here. We don’t really expect to see explosions in Strathcona County let alone the country,” Frank said.

“We are getting on with life here in Strathcona County. I’m very proud of how we have come together as a community during this challenging and difficult time.”

As many as 600 staff have been displaced because of the explosions with the city’s recreation, parks and culture facility accommodating a large influx of those employees.

Family and Community Services is offering counselling and other supports out of Millennium Place while library staff continue to run its mobile book service.

Fire Chief Jeff Hutton said consultants from Merwin Engineering were brought in Thursday night to provide a visual inspection of the parkade.

“The initial conclusion was positive,” he said.

“What we know from the initial visual inspection is that there is no significant damage to the structural integrity of the parkade. Once the parkade is released to the county, there will be further structural, mechanical and electrical inspections and testing of the parkade.”

Mounties have yet to confirm the type of explosive materials used.
• Cause of two Sherwood Park explosions unknown, 21-year-old man dead
RCMP confirm one of two explosions at the Strathcona County Community Centre in Sherwood Park, Alberta on November 6th was deliberate, and the other was accidentally set off. They also disclose the suspect shot himself and later died from his wounds. No one else was hurt in the incident, and a motive for the incident is still under investigation.