Friends and family of Trevor LaPlante called for justice Wednesday at a rally to honour the memory of the Prince Albert homicide victim.
Community members call for just at Wednesday rally in memory of Trevor LaPlante.
LaPlante was killed July 22 in what police deemed a homicide.
On that day, around 9:50 p.m., Prince Albert police responded to a call for assistance from the Parkland Ambulance in the 500 block of 18 Street East, where 52-year-old LaPlante was found unconscious and not breathing.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Micheal Bird, 33, was arrested and now faces charges of second-degree murder and committing an indignity to a human body.
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LaPlante was a well-loved member of the community.
“I’ve known Trevor since I was a young boy. We’d go for breakfast at Burger King. We’d go to Raider games all the time. He’s a diehard fan,” said Jeff Perehudoff, a friend of LaPlante. “He was just amazing. He was a fun-loving guy. Always smiling, always cracking jokes, always laughing.”
Friends and family at the rally have concerns for the safety of their community in the wake of LaPlante’s death.
“We all want justice. We want peace. We all want to feel safe in this community of Prince Albert, which most of us don’t,” said Maureen Palagian, LaPlante’s sister.
“I feel angry,” she continued. “I feel angry that someone would take my brother’s life. And I feel that our justice system will be able to do the right thing for my brother and for us and for others.”
Perehudoff echoed the sentiment. “I want change in the city. We all have kids. We want our streets back. We want our city to be beautiful again. We want to be able to walk around or go to the fair without getting maced or jumped.”
The rally was scheduled to coincide with a court proceeding in LaPlante’s case.
The hearing, however, was adjourned due to a change in legal counsel for the accused. It has been rescheduled for Aug. 28.