EDMONTON – It was a crime that caught a city off guard and made news around the world.
On the late night of June 14, five armoured car guards from security company G4S drove to HUB Mall on the University of Alberta campus in Edmonton. They were delivering cash. Three ended up shot dead. One remains in critical condition in hospital.
And the fifth employee would soon become Canada’s most wanted man.
Here is a timeline of the events in the mass shooting at the University of Alberta. All times are Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) unless otherwise stated.
Friday, June 15
12:30 AM: Some University of Alberta students take to Twitter, saying they’re hearing sirens, a helicopter and loud banging noises. Some students report they are on a “lockdown.”
Students in dorm rooms above the indoor shopping street hear a man screaming and watch police break through a heavy door. They pull out the injured man and two bodies. Another body is found lying outside the building, face down in a pool of blood.
12:36 AM: Cameras at the Edmonton Journal‘s Eastgate printing plant record video of a blue G4S truck driving past. The truck is later found parked on the road a few blocks away, outside the G4S compound.
Police later request copies of the video.
12:48 AM: Students search for answers.
About 1:00 AM: Police call University of Alberta provost Carl Amrhein about the shooting. Amrhein mobilizes the university’s crisis management team.
1:20 AM: Police confirm three people are dead and a fourth person is in critical condition.
2:10 AM: Official U of A Twitter account posts first alert.
3:23 AM:
3:28 AM: U of A posts an emergency alert on its website: “Armoured car robbery on campus in HUB Mall. Edmonton police are on scene.”
5:50 AM:
6:49 AM: Reached in Toronto, G4S company spokeswoman Robin Steinberg says: “Nothing like this has happened before. I’ve been with G4S for five and a half years and nothing even close to this. This is just horrific.”
9:04 AM: Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel takes to Twitter, reacting to the tragedy.
10:00 AM: Police surround a home in Sherwood Park, where G4S employee Travis Brandon Baumgartner resides with his mother.
11:05 AM: Edmonton police release a photo of Baumgartner, 21, and declare him a person of interest in the case. They ask the public to watch for his dark blue Ford F-150 truck with licence number ZRE 724. Police say they are unaware of his involvement in the shooting, so he is declared only a person of interest.
Travis Baumgartner
2:50 PM: A couple leaves flowers at the scene of the abandoned G4S truck and notes for people named Matt, Michelle, Brian and Eddie.
3:00 PM: Police now say Baumgartner is a prime suspect in the University of Alberta shooting. They are in the process of filing warrants for his arrest, on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
4:00 PM: The shooting victims are publicly identified. Michelle Shegelski, 26; Brian Ilesic, 35; and Eddie Rejano, 39, died of their wounds. Cpl. Matthew Schuman, 26, is in critical condition in hospital.
Michelle Shegelski
Brian Ilesic
Eddie Rejano
Matthew Schuman, pictured with his wife Jennifer and their two-year old son
9:30 PM: Baumgartner’s whereabouts remain unknown. His mother, Sandy, makes a desperate plea to her son, urging him to turn himself into the police. “I’m sorry that we had an argument last night, and had bad words between us, but I want you to come home and do the right thing. Let’s work this out together,” she told police, saying they were arguing about money.
“Trav, as your mother, I ask that you come forward now and take responsibility for your actions. Please Travis, I love you, and I’m pleading with you with all of my heart, to end this without further bloodshed. As your mother, I promise to you now, that I will be there by your side to support you.”
Police emphasize Baumgartner is “armed and dangerous” and urge the public not to approach him if they see him.
Officers also believe he has now switched licence plates, the new one being CAA 636.
Saturday, June 16
3:00 PM: Police are now saying the search for Baumgartner is an international manhunt. They’re pleading with Baumgartner’s friends to step forward if they’ve been in contact with him. “If anyone is worried about maintaining their anonymity, they can contact us absolutely discreetly through Crime Stoppers. No one will know you’re identity,” said Edmonton Police Supt. Bob Hassel.
4:08 PM MT (3:08 PM PT): Baumgartner, not carrying a passport, pulls up to the Lynden, Washington/Aldergrove, B.C. border crossing in his dark blue pickup, the same vehicle police are searching for. A computer scans his licence plate, triggering an alert. Officers approach the truck and take Baumgartner into custody without a fight.
Police say he wasn’t carrying a weapon, but they did find $334,000 stuffed in a backpack in his truck. Baumgartner was handcuffed and placed a holding cell while waiting for Canadian officials to retrieve him.
It’s estimated Baumgartner drove about 1,100-1,200 kilometres before he was arrested.
6:38 PM:
7:05 PM: Edmonton police confirm Baugartner’s arrest.
Baumgartner is transported to detention in Langley, B.C., as Edmonton police make their way there to interview the suspected killer.
Video shot by Global’s Ted Field
Baumgartner is taken out of a van by Canadian Border Services officers at the Aldergrove, B.C. border crossing on June 16. Photo by Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press.
Sunday, June 17: Baumgartner appears before a justice on Canada-wide warrants for three counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and four counts of robbery with a firearm.
Schuman is listed in critical condition in hospital. His wife, Jennifer, says she was there when he was briefly awake. “Sunday evening was the first time that he opened his eyes and squeezed my hand. Shortly thereafter he went back to sleep. We remain cautiously optimistic that his condition will improve.”
Monday, June 18: Edmonton police say Baumgartner is cooperating with investigators. However, they haven’t tracked down the accused murderer’s work-issued firearm and body armour.
Baumgartner will be taken back to Edmonton later this week.
Cpl. Schuman remains in critical condition.
Wednesday, June 20: Baumgartner is flown back to Edmonton, arriving just before 2:00 PM. He is processed and taken to the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Thursday, June 21: Baumgartner makes his first court appearance. He does not enter a plea. Security in the courtroom included four guards, more than the normal two.
The suspected killer is forbidden from contacting a long list of people, including his parents, friends, colleagues, and any G4S Canada employee. Most of the people on this no-contact list are expected to be witnesses.
His next court date is scheduled for July 5.
Cpl. Schuman remains in critical, but stable condition with what have been described as head injuries.
Monday, June 25: Schuman’s wife releases a statement, saying her husband continues to recover a gunshot wound to the head; he had surgery to remove the bullet, and was placed into an induced coma; and he is undergoing physiotherapy to regain his motor skills. According to Jennifer Schuman, the soldier also recognizes his family, but his communication skills are limited at the moment.
With files from The Canadian Press
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