Nine days after being assaulted at a homeless encampment in central Edmonton, a man was found unconscious at a LRT station and died in hospital.
On Friday, the Edmonton Police Service said homicide detectives are investigating the suspicious death of the man, who was assaulted in mid-November.
On the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 28, staff at a city hospital called police after an injured man was brought in earlier that morning by EMS.
Police said the man had been found just before 9:30 a.m. unresponsive outside the Coliseum LRT station at 118 Avenue near 76 Street.
Calvin Ross Moosewah, 46, died in hospital two days later on Nov. 30.
An autopsy was done on Thursday and police said the medical examiner is awaiting further testing before revealing the cause and manner of death.
That said, the death was deemed suspicious and the homicide section is leading the investigation.
Nine days before being found unconscious at the northside LRT station, police said Moosewah was attacked at an inner city homeless encampment.
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Police said on Saturday, Nov. 19, he was the victim of an assault at an encampment near 100 Street and 105A Avenue, which is on the same street as the Herb Jamieson men’s homeless shelter and within blocks of several other social service agencies in the city’s Chinatown area.
At that time, police said Moosewah was taken to hospital and treated for head injuries. A 40-year-old man was charged in relation to the assault.
Earlier this week, police said they were investigating another suspicious death after a man’s body was found by the city’s encampment team near 95 Street and 106 Avenue.
An autopsy was done on Friday, when police identified the man as Joseph Ross Gladue, 38.
The cause of death is being withheld for investigative reasons and police said the manner of death is pending, but homicide detectives continues to investigate the death as suspicious.
This week, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi spoke at city council about safety concerns vulnerable people in the city face.
Sohi said he’s heard about several deaths in recent weeks from both firefighters and police.
“Recently, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and the Edmonton Police Service have confirmed the deaths of six Edmontonians living in encampments, and yesterday, yet another unhoused neighbour was found dead on our city’s streets,” Sohi said Thursday in a Twitter thread in which he spoke about the crisis facing the city’s vulnerable population.
Edmonton Fire Rescue Services spokesperson Kyle Owcharuk confirmed Friday the city is aware of at least seven deaths among the city’s homeless population in the past six months: on June 14, Oct. 12, Nov. 3, 8, 28, 29 and 30.
Owcharuk said police are involved in some of the cases, and have indicated that at least one is suspicious.
“However, Edmonton Fire Rescue Services only tracks data on fatalities that are directly connected to an EFRS emergency response,” he said.
On Wednesday, council unanimously approved a motion brought forward by Sohi requesting an emergency meeting with the province on the city’s shelter and homelessness situation.
Moosewah primarily lived in encampments in and around the downtown core, police said.
Investigators are looking to speak with anyone who may have information on his whereabouts and activities between Nov. 19 and Nov. 28.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the 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.