EDMONTON – Dozens of people came together Sunday, to say goodbye to one of the men killed in Friday’s stabbing rampage at a west Edmonton warehouse.
Fitzroy Harris and Thierno Bah died Friday, after an employee of the Loblaw warehouse came in, allegedly armed with two knives, and reportedly stabbed the men to death.
READ MORE: Two killed, at least four injured at west Edmonton warehouse; suspect captured
Sunday afternoon, Edmonton’s Guinean community held a service for Bah, who is being remembered as a loving family man.
“He’s an awesome guy. One of the best people I’ve ever known. Just sad his life had to end this way,” said Thierno Barry, a friend of Bah’s.
Bah came to Montreal in 2009 before moving to Edmonton last year. Friends say he had an engineering degree, but had difficulty finding work in his field because his English wasn’t strong enough. He moved to Edmonton about six months ago to improve his English, in hopes of finding better opportunities to provide for his family.
Bah leaves behind a wife and four small children, ranging in age from 10 months to seven years old.
“Very friendly. Very nice,” said Bah’s friend Mamatou Barry. “He just moved here six months ago and imagine all of those people come down here to support him.”
Those at the memorial Sunday say they’re doing everything they can to help his family, while trying to come to grips with what happened Friday afternoon.
“Thierno just went to work like anybody else, just tried to provide for his family,” said Thierno Barry. “And unfortunately, he got killed at work… As a community, when such a tragedy happens, everybody gets together. This was unimaginable.”
“It’s a big loss for us,” added Mamatou Barry. “We are kind of lost. We are trying to figure out what we’re going to do.”
READ MORE: Families, friends mourn victims of fatal Edmonton stabbings
The Guinean community in Edmonton is now fundraising to help support his family and send his body back home to Guinea, where his mother and sisters live.
And while they all know it’s not going to be easy, community members say Bah’s family won’t have to go through this tragic loss alone.
“It’s going to be tough for the family, but with community support, and the people of Edmonton’s support, we are sure she can get through this tragedy,” said Thierno Barry.
Twenty-nine-year-old Jayme Pasieka has since been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and one count of aggravated assault.
With files from Shannon Greer, Global News.