A 36-year-old man has been charged in connection with Tuesday’s death in the southwest neighbourhood of Bankview.
According to police, an injured man entered a Calgary Fire Department station in the Beltline early Tuesday afternoon and told firefighters that his roommate was in need of help.
CFD members drove the injured man to his residence in a transitional housing complex in the 1800 block of 17 Street Southwest where a body was discovered. A police investigation was launched into the death.
The deceased has been identified as 58-year-old Richard Pember of Calgary.
“We believe that Mr. Pember died in the early morning hours of that Tuesday, November 22.,” said CPS Staff Sergeant Michael Cavilla. “The investigation to date has shown that there was just a party, a party at this residence with three individuals involving alcohol and that, at some point during the evening, things got out of hand.”
"Alcohol was a definite factor."
On Friday, police interviewed a person of interest in connection with Pember’s death. As a result of the investigation, 36-year-old Zachery Frederick Rider has been charged with:
- Second-degree murder
- Assault
- Assault with a weapon
The assault charges are in connection with the attack on Pember's roommate. “(The roommate) sustained some major injuries but nothing life threatening,”
Cavilla says Rider is known to the Calgary Police Service and was uncooperative with the investigation. Investigators have determined the accused and the two victims were acquaintances.
Rider is scheduled to appear in court on Monday November 28, 2016.
