Death in downtown park deemed a murder

CALGARY – A man who died after being found injured in a downtown park is the city’s 22nd homicide of the year.

The victim was found unconscious in the area of 8th Street and 7th Avenue S.W. just before 11 p.m. on Sunday.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died.

An autopsy performed on Monday confirmed the man was murdered. He has been identified as 35-year-old Brian Blackkettle.

Investigators believe he was approached by another man who struck him in what appears to be an unprovoked attack.

It is believed the offender and the victim were known to each other, and the incident is not considered random.

Officers are reviewing surveillance footage from the area, and ask anyone who may have information to call police or Crime Stoppers.

“We have seized CCTV footage from the area and are in the process of examining that footage,” says S/Sgt. Doug Andrus from the Calgary Police Service. “We also believe that there were a number of people in the immediate area at the time of this incident, and we’re in the process of trying to identify these individuals.

“We believe that they have information that will assist us in moving this investigation forward.”