EDMONTON- Dozens of people gathered Saturday afternoon, to honour and remember the victims of last June’s deadly shooting at the University of Alberta’s HUB Mall.
Family and friends of Michelle Shegelski, Brian Ilesic and Eddie Rejano gathered for a private ceremony outside the university campus.
During the early hours of Friday, June 15, 2012, the three G4S armoured guards were reloading an ATM machine inside the mall when they were shot and killed.
A fourth guard, 25-year-old Matthew Schuman, suffered a serious gunshot to the head, but miraculously survived. Schuman did not attend Saturday’s memorial.
An honour guard led in three wreaths at the ceremony Saturday afternoon; one for each of the victims. The small ceremony lasted less than an hour and included speeches from family members, the university, and G4S.
The ceremony was private, but Ilesic’s parents, Brian and Dianne, asked a family spokesperson to make a short statement.
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“We miss you so much, Brian,” Paul Preston said after the ceremony. “At the utmost importance in his life was his daughter … Brian valued family and was a dedicated and loyal son.”
The statement went on to say “Although you and the others did not die in dignity, you have been buried, honoured and respected in dignity.”
Loved ones and fellow guards planted a red oak tree in Shegelski, Ilesic and Rejano’s honour. A plaque with the guards names was placed beside the tree, as a permanent memorial for the three victims to be remember by.
A fifth guard on the crew the night of the shooting, 21-year-old Travis Baumgartner, has been charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder, and four counts of robbery with a firearm.
Baumgartner’s trial date is set for September 9.
With files from Laurel Clark, Global News.
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