The Truro Police Service has arrested two men and is searching for a third in relation to the homicide of 23-year-old Prabhjot Singh Katri, who was killed outside an apartment building in Truro in the early morning hours of Sept. 5.
During a news conference, Truro Police Chief Dave MacNeil said police arrested 21-year-old Dylan Robert MacDonald of Valley, Colchester County, on Thursday. He is charged with accessory after the fact to murder, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, and flight from police.
MacDonald is scheduled for a bail hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 26 and an election and/or plea on Oct. 27, according to a spokesperson for the courts.
MacNeil said MacDonald was initially arrested shortly after the homicide, and “our investigation has proceeded to the point where we now have charges against him.”
Police also arrested a 20-year-old from Pictou Landing First Nation for murder on Friday morning. He is currently in police custody and is not being named because charges have not yet been laid. MacNeil said they aim to lay charges on Friday.
MacNeil said police are also searching for a third man, 22-year-old Marcus Denny of Pictou Landing First Nation, who is also charged with accessory to murder after the fact. There is a warrant issued for his arrest.
The police chief said there were indications of who was responsible early on, and they were able to make these arrests after a detailed and complex investigation.
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“We pretty much knew from the jump who was involved and what each other’s roles were, but we had to prove that,” he said.
The death of Singh Katri, who is remembered as a kind man and a hard worker, shook the community of Truro and the wider Indian-Canadian community. Some of his friends and family feared the crime was hate-motivated, as Singh Katri wore a turban, didn’t have any enemies and wasn’t robbed on the night he was killed.
MacNeil said “those thoughts and fears and concerns are genuine,” and said police looked at the crime through a number of lenses, including that of a potential hate crime.
“However, at this time I can’t speculate on the motive,” he said. “I don’t want to jeopardize the upcoming court case.”
He also said that this was a “pretty short resolution” to this crime, and said he was proud of the work they’ve done.
“Hopefully, the community and family and the Sikh community locally and nationally can try to come to grips with this and try to heal from this,” he said.
‘Justice will be served’
Simardeep Hundal, the president of the Maritime Sikh Society, said she was “relieved” by the news of the arrests Friday.
“It’s a little bit emotional, a life lost without any reason. But I’m happy and relieved and very grateful for the police for their work,” she said. “The whole community was shattered and feeling very anxious.”
Hundal said the police were in communication with the society throughout the investigation and thanked them for their work.
“We’re just happy that justice will be served, finally,” she said.
She said a witness, who was a friend of Singh Katri and a member of the Maritime Sikh Society, was able to identify MacDonald from pictures shown to them by police.
“He identified one person out of those pictures without hesitation, with 101 per cent certainty,” she said.
Hundal said she has not heard any information about a potential motive.