Homicide detectives are investigating after a man was killed following an early morning assault near Alberta Avenue.
Emergency crews were called to an assault happening at a home near 117 Avenue and 86 Street around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.
“We heard a big bang and then a vehicle speed off,” said Cory Heft, who lives nearby. “Next thing I know there’s 13 to 16 cruisers, 2 forensic units – lit up the whole street.”
Police arrived to find a 35 year-old man in the boarded-up home. He died at the scene, which was quickly cordoned off.
Neighbours weren’t surprised to wake up and find police tape surrounding the home, though, which they say is a condemned and known drug house.
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“That house has been nothing but trouble for the last 5, 6 years,” said Andrew Windjack. “Lot of drug activity, lot of theft.”
Royce Ziegler, who’s lived in the neighbourhood for more than three decades, said the problems started when the current owner’s parents passed away. But he and other residents have been working to keep the crime out of the neighbourhood.
“We called the police many, many times on that house and they were doing their best and that was it,” said Ziegler, who still considers the area to be safe.
“We do a lot of night patroling when I’m home. I walk around the neighbour, keeping people out of the area that don’t belong here,” added Windjack.
Two men, aged 52 and 34, have been taken into custody and are being interviewed. No charges have been laid at this time.
Until an autopsy is performed, police are treating the death as suspicious and continue to investigate the incident.
If it becomes a homicide, this would be our city’s 40th murder this year, and would break the homicide record set back in 2005.
With files from Slav Kornik and Quinn Ohler, Global News
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