Calgary police investigate suspicious death in southwest alley

Calgary police are investigating after a man’s body was discovered in a southwest alley Saturday.

Officers were called to the 4500 block of 17 Avenue S.W. in Glendale just after 5:30 a.m.

Police have deemed the death suspicious and several alleys in the area were cordoned off while police investigated.

Both the homicide unit and traffic unit were called in to investigate the death. Police said evidence suggests the man was the victim of a hit-and-run “because the body is in the back alley and there is always an indication that there might have been other circumstances around the deceased.”

“So we typically get traffic reconstructionists if we have questions about the circumstances and the cause of death,” Duty Insp. Peter Siegenthaler added.

There’s no word on the age or identity of the victim, whose body was covered by a yellow tarp in the alley.

Neighbours on Gateway Drive said they were shocked to wake up to the sight of yellow tape on their front lawns.

“It’s scary stuff,” Tony Alvez said. “I’ve been living here for the last 35 years. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a big deal as tonight.”

At one point, there were around a half-dozen police vehicles parked along 17 Avenue – across from the 45 Street LRT station – assisting in the investigation.

Police officers went door-to-door looking for anyone with information. Neighbours told Global News they didn’t hear anything unusual overnight, but some say there has been lots of activity there recently.

“There has been some action in the alley lately – some crazy stuff happening – but so far, I never heard a big deal like today,” Alvez said. “A couple of times I was ready to call the police but I don’t know if it’s worth it sometimes. I’ve seen a couple of things going on up there.”