Edmonton police hope the public will come forward with information on the city’s third homicide of the year, which investigators said was completely random.
“These two young men didn’t know the attacker at all,” Staff Sgt. Bill Clark with the Edmonton Police Service Homicide Section said.
“This is just a random attack on two innocent young men who were minding their own business, weren’t bothering a soul. And we need to find this guy before he hurts someone else in our city.”
Police were called to the area of 82 Street and 118 Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, after two men reported another man tried to rob them while they were at a bus station.
Clark said the men — two brothers — were heading home at the time.
“They were confronted by a lone male who approached them right here at the bus shelter,” Clark said from the bus stop Friday. “They were cooperative with him. They weren’t giving him a hard time at all.”
Clark said the suspect asked the men for a cigarette, then “demanded things from them.” One of the men ended up being stabbed in the chest, Clark explained.
The two then chased the suspect, who ran east on the north side of 118 Avenue.
“While chasing the suspect, the two males passed an older man wearing a light grey winter coat with a black stripe across the top,” Clark explained. “We are hoping to speak with this man as we believe he may have information pertinent to this investigation.”
On Jan. 31, police released a photo of the potential witness in the hopes of soliciting a tip from the public as to who he is so they can contact him. A photo of the potential witness can be seen below.
EMS responded and treated the man who was stabbed. He was taken to hospital where he died early Thursday morning.
“Unfortunately, the one fellow who had been stabbed didn’t even realize it at first. He sat down and had to be attended to by his brother, eventually called EMS. Paramedics came out and transported him to hospital where he died of his injuries,” Clark said.
An autopsy confirmed the man died from the stab wound and the medical examiner has ruled it a homicide. The man’s name will not be released because the EPS said releasing the name “does not serve an investigative purpose and the EPS has a duty to protect the privacy rights of the victims and their families.”
“Every homicide is sad. I mean, someone has lost their life but these ones particularly affect everyone because this could happen to any one of us,” Clark said.
“Someone is just riding the bus, they’re just waiting for the bus and they get attacked like this. There’s no excuse for this.”
Police are still looking for the suspect and describe him as 5-10 with an average build and dark hair. He’s reported to be in his mid-20s and was last seen in dark clothing and a light grey hat with a Cleveland Cavaliers emblem on it. He was reportedly wearing a camouflage-patterned bag as a backpack.
On Jan. 31, police released a photo of a “camouflage hoverboard bag” that is similar in appearance to the bag they believe the suspect was carrying at the time. A photo of the bag can be seen below.
“Someone’s going to know the person that wears this hat. And I get it, there’s going to be a few people but at least call us and give us a name. We can take it from there,” Clark said.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.