A week after police charged a man with second-degree murder in connection with a killing at a downtown Edmonton parkade, the family of the victim said his remains will be sent back to family in India, the country he left less than a year ago.
“He was just a kid,” Sukhpreet Maan told Global News on Wednesday, noting that it was his cousin — 22-year-old Jashandeep Maan — who was killed in the attack that unfolded last week.
At about 12:15 p.m. on Sept. 4, police officers received a weapons complaint and were dispatched to a parkade in the area of 101st Street and 102nd Avenue. Officers found an injured man who was later pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
An autopsy determined he died of “multiple sharp force injuries” and that he was the victim of a homicide.
Maan was later identified as the victim. His family said he was working at a Tim Hortons at the time of his death.
Alberta Occupational Health and Safety told Global News last week that it is also conducting its own investigation into the death. An OHS spokesperson said a restaurant worker was allegedly killed by a worker from a logistics or delivery company.
“It is always tragic when a worker is hurt or dies on the job,” OHS said. “Our government’s goal is to have all workers return home safely after every workday.”
Edgar Wesker, 40, was taken into custody shortly after the killing and was later charged.
“We can confirm that both men were not known to one another, and this appears to be an isolated incident,” Staff Sgt. Colin Leathem with the EPS homicide section said.
On Wednesday, Maan’s family told Global News the young man came to Canada about eight months ago. Aside from working his job downtown, he was also attending a post-secondary institution. They said he had only worked at the Tim Hortons for a couple of months at the time of his death.
— with files from Global News’ Caley Gibson and Jasmine King