A 38-year-old man who was killed in what police are calling random assaults in north Edmonton Wednesday afternoon is being remembered as a hero.
Brian Berland, of the Cold Lake First Nation, died after being attacked while out walking in the Homesteader neighbourhood with his sister, Jamie, and her dog, Meatball.
“I would like to extend the condolences of the EPS to the family and friends of the victim,” said Acting Supt. Brent Dahlseide with the EPS criminal investigations division.
Two other people — a 32-year-old woman and a 41-year-old woman — were seriously injured in the attacks. Police said they were both taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said a male suspect first approached the 32-year-old woman at a bus stop in the area of Hermitage Road and Henry Avenue NW and stabbed her. The second woman was stabbed moments later in her tent, which was only a short distance away in a wooded area, according to police.
Dahlseide said police believe the suspect and the woman who was stabbed in the tent were known to each other, but didn’t know how they knew each other or for how long.
Police said the 38-year-old man was then fatally stabbed.
“Our deceased was stabbed multiple times and died at the scene,” Dahlseide said.
The suspect then fled the area on foot. (More about the police investigation below).
Man killed was a ‘hero,’ family says
Berland’s brother-in-law, Allen Frost, told Global News a man came out of a nearby treed area as Berland and Jamie were walking in the area.
“He really didn’t say anything, he just started attacking Brian and he (Brian) told my wife, Jamie, ‘Run, Jamie, run. Go!’ And so Jamie ran and he died there,” Frost said Thursday morning from the crime scene.
“He’s a hero. Brian saved Jamie’s life and we’re all grateful for that and he didn’t die for nothing.”
Frost said Berland was his kids’ favourite uncle, and that he would never hurt anyone.
Frost said his wife is traumatized. They hope they find out why it happened.
“It’s so tragic right now for us,” he said. “We just want to know answers. It’s terrible for everybody that was involved.”
The family’s dog, Meatball, ran off during the ordeal. Frost said his kids and family are desperate for the dog’s safe return.
“Hopefully if anybody knows where he’s at or has seen him, to please bring him back to us.”
On Friday evening, Meatball was found and reunited with the family.
Sharon Favel is Berland’s aunt. She said her entire family is in shock, trying to come to grips with what happened.
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“We are all still just trying to deal with this. It’s very hard on all of us, especially his mother,” Favel said.
She described Berland as a good and gentle person, who was loved very much by his entire family.
“Brian was a loving person who would never hurt anybody. It’s just so devastating… this random act of violence in our city. And it touched all of us because of what has just been going on in Saskatchewan and all the loss of life,” Favel said.
“For it to happen here with us, it was very hard.”
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Luis Padilla was driving to his rental property in the neighbourhood around 2:25 p.m. Wednesday when he saw the attack happen and tried to help Berland.
He said he was waiting to turn at the intersection when he saw three people. He said one man wearing a black hoodie pulled at a man walking a dog and punched him. He said a tussle ensued.
Padilla said he got out of his vehicle and ran toward the group, when the suspect ran off toward 50 Street. He said Berland was trying to cross the street but his legs were giving out.
“He was walking and he was unresponsive. I got out, I grabbed him by the arm. I tried to keep him awake and I tried to help him out, tell him everything was going to be OK, the cops are coming and the ambulance, stay with me, stay with me,” Padilla recalled.
“I wasn’t really sure what was wrong with him until I seen behind his back there was big pool of blood.”
Padilla said the woman with him was screaming and calling his name, “Brian!”
Padilla said he sat with the man until police arrived.
“The gentleman passed away right in front of me here,” Padilla said. “I couldn’t do (anything) for him, unfortunately. It happened so fast and so unreal. I just never experienced anything like this in my life.”
Padilla said he hopes the man knew he was there with him.
“It’s a terrible, terrible thing to experience. To see somebody who 15 seconds ago was perfectly fine and all of a sudden he’s dead,” he said. “My face was the last thing he saw… I hope he knew that I was there. I feel really bad for his family.”
Police remained at the scene Thursday morning, with a cruiser parked near the treed area where Frost said the suspect emerged from. The area leads down to some bushes where a homeless encampment was surrounded by police tape Thursday morning.
Police call unfolding situation 'dynamic' and 'chaotic'
People in the area were told to shelter in place for several hours Wednesday, after police said there was a man in the area with an edged weapon.
Several area schools were placed on alert, with the doors locked and no one allowed in or out.
Dahlseide said police resources from across Edmonton were brought in to help manage the situation, including front-line officers, canine and tactical units, as well as surveillance units. Officers were also stationed inside the schools to help with the evolving situation and help reunite kids with their parents after the alerts were lifted.
“With these horrific types of events, there’s a lot of pieces at play — things that are rapidly unfolding — and numerous resources that come into how we manage each situation and how we react to it,” he explained.
“It was quite a dynamic and at times a chaotic event that I do have to commend our group on how they managed the incident and how it was responded to, ensuring that public safety, obviously, was going to be paramount.”
At around 6 p.m. Wednesday, police said they arrested 25-year-old Clarence Lawrence. He was taken into police custody in the area of 50 Street and 122 Avenue in the Newton area without incident.
Dahlseide said he did not know if a weapon was recovered with the suspect or at any of the crime scenes.
He said the suspect was taken to hospital for a medical and psychological assessment. He remained in police custody overnight and was questioned on Thursday.
“At this point we don’t want to try to speculate on a motive for why this occurred without knowing more about the individual himself,” Dahlseide said, “if there even was one.”
Clarence Lawrence, 25, was arrested by police after a fatal stabbing in north Edmonton’s Homesteader neighborhood on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.
Dahlseide said the accused is known to police. Court records show Lawrence has convictions dating back to 2017, including possession of a substance, obstructing a peace officer, possession for the purpose of trafficking and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Police said more information will be released once charges are laid.
“The individual will be facing numerous charges. We will know what that will be for sure following the interview process as we work our way through the rest of that today,” Dahlseide said.
An autopsy on the deceased is scheduled for Friday, according to police.
Frost said a vigil is planned at the north Edmonton scene at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Frost has set up a GoFundMe page to help with funeral costs.
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