Vancouver police have made an arrest in a brutal New Year’s Day attack in Oppenheimer Park that left a man dead.
Jesus Cristobal-Esteban, a well-known member of the Downtown Eastside community and volunteer, suffered a serious head injury near the park’s basketball court around 1 p.m. on Jan. 1 and died in hospital the following day, according to police.
Investigators say they have arrested 50-year-old Glen Domenic Martin of Vancouver, who has been charged with manslaughter.
Court records show Martin has a previous conviction for possessing a weapon for dangerous purposes related to an incident in May 2018.
Martin remains in custody, according to police.
Cristobal-Esteban, 62, had emigrated to Canada from Guatemala more than 25 years ago and was recognized as an elder in the Latinx community.
At a memorial in January, he was remembered as an “inspiring” and active volunteer with the Watari Counselling and Support Services Society.
The group said he had been a daily visitor to the entrenched homeless camp in Oppenheimer Park, where he had established a garden, worked in community kitchens and led several park cleanups.
Cristobal-Esteban is survived by his children in Guatemala, cousins in the Metro Vancouver area, and a romantic partner in Vancouver who said she is struggling with his death.