Memorial held for man killed at Edmonton LRT station calls for more safety measures

A crowd of people gathered at a memorial held for a man killed at Belvedere LRT Station last Sunday.

Shortly after 9 p.m. , police responded to a weapons complaint in northeast Edmonton around 129 Avenue and Fort Road.

Police said they found a man who had sustained “serious injuries.” He was declared dead at the scene by EMS.

Rukinisha Nkundabatware, known as “Hunda” to his loved ones, was later identified by the Edmonton Police Service as the victim on July 12. An autopsy done that morning confirmed Nkundabatware died from a stab wound to the chest and the manner of death was homicide.

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He and his family moved to Canada nine years ago from Congo to escape the conflict there.

“We are shocked … We do not understand. We ran from our country and we came here to be safe. We thought we’d be protected here,” said Pastor Eugene Makombe on Saturday.

“He was a very nice guy. He was loved in the community. He was a very nice guy. It’s sad for us to lose him.”

Memorial attendees are also calling on the City of Edmonton to address public safety, especially on public transit. Makombe said more security guards should be stationed along LRT Stations, especially late at night.

Nkundabatware was a regular user of Edmonton’s public transit system, according to the pastor.

“Nothing was done. To us, we think the City of Edmonton says the city is safe but in fact it is not,” said Makombe.

“The reason why we came to this country is to be safe. The city needs to do something about this and be held accountable.

“Why are we not protected? Why are people dying in places where they are supposed to be protected?”

— With files from Meaghan Archer and Emily Mertz, Global News.