Edmonton police have released the identity of the suspect shot and killed outside a southside bank Friday morning during an attempted robbery and attack on two armoured car guards.
Police say Randy James Munian, 40, died of a gunshot wound to the torso. Officers said Munian was one of two male suspects who pepper sprayed and robbed two guards at a TD Canada Trust bank in the area of 25 Avenue and Hewes Way at around 12:45 a.m.
Munian had been in the news before when he testified at the trial of convicted killer Thomas Svekla, with whom Munian and his fiancee lived in early 2004. Svekla is serving an indefinite sentence, having been declared a dangerous offender after killing Theresa Innes. He was also convicted of several sex offences.
The second suspect, described only as a man who stands about 5’10” tall with an average build and a black hoodie, remained on the loose Friday evening.
When police arrived at the financial institution Friday morning, officers found one man dead on the ground nearby. It is alleged that two robbery suspects approached the GardaWorld guards, pepper sprayed them and demanded cash from the guards.
“It appears as though two Garda armoured car vehicle guards were ambushed by two suspects, two male suspects,” EPS spokesperson Scott Pattison said.
Watch below: Erin Chalmers speaks to EPS spokesperson Scott Pattison about the crime
Pattison said one of the guards fired his gun, killing one of the two male suspects. His body was found in a grassy area about 50 metres from the armoured truck. Pattison said police are still investigating to figure out if the suspect was running away when he was shot.
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Police could not say if the second suspect made off with any cash, however a source told Global News there is money missing.
Police continue to hunt for the second suspect.
“A description is very limited. We have approximately a male, 5’10”, average build, wearing a black hoodie as per usual, right?” Pattison told Global News reporter Erin Chalmers.
The two guards were treated on scene for pepper spray, but were otherwise not hurt.
GardaWorld released the following statement:
Following an attack on our operations this morning, our crew is safe and we are providing support to them and their families, as well as to our employees at the Edmonton branch. The incident is under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the Edmonton Police Department. We cannot provide any additional information at this time.
Armoured car employees are licensed to carry weapons, but must follow the same use of force guidelines as police. Neil LeMay, a security consultant and expert in use of force, said decisions on when to shoot are difficult.
“There’s no clear cut answers to this,” he said. “Once the guard is incapacitated, now that person has access to the guard’s gun. So that changes the dynamics. That may have been something the guards were thinking about.”
Homicide and Robbery Section detectives from the EPS continue to investigate.
Munian’s death is Edmonton’s 27th homicide of 2016.
Four years ago, three armoured guards were murdered in Edmonton. In June 2012, Travis Baumgartner shot four of his co-workers, three fatally, in a robbery on the University of Alberta campus. He was later sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 40 years.
–with files from the Canadian Press