CPS investigating suspicious death of suspected East Village assault victim

The Calgary Police Service is trying to determine what led to the death of an unidentified man who was found severely injured in East Village early Tuesday morning.

Police were called to the 400 block of Sixth Avenue S.E. at around 1:20 a.m. for reports of a man in medical distress. 

Witnesses told officers it appeared the victim had suffered injuries in some sort of a physical altercation, and he was bleeding on the steps near the Real Canadian Superstore entrance. 

CPS officials say it does appear the man had been assaulted.

Good Samaritans and first responders tried to save the man's life before he was transported to hospital where he later died.

According to EMS, the victim didn't have identification on him, but they believe he was in his 20s.

Some who live and work in East Village say the fatal incident doesn't come as much of a surprise given the fact the Drop-In Centre is mere blocks away from the crime scene.

"I definitely don't feel safe in the area for the most part and I own a condo down the street, so it's a little bit disturbing," said a woman who lives in the area. 

Blessing Dela Cruz has similar concerns. 

"There's a lot of people roaming around during the night, so a little bit of a safety concern. I never come out during the night."

Eric Cooper used to work at the Salvation Army before becoming a bus driver.  He said there are "plenty" of safety concerns for the neighbourhood. 

"It's been improving lately, but you're never going to get rid of the homeless, right?" said Cooper. "Everybody loves the idea of homeless shelters, but nobody wants them in their backyard.

"It’s hard to determine what else you could really do, though, to be honest with you. Neighbourhood watch maybe?" 

According to CPS, there have been 113 non-domestic assaults in East Village so far this year, compared to 125 in 2021 and 101 in 2020. 

Police have responded to 23 calls regarding other types of non-domestic violence in the neighbourhood this year — up from 11 in 2021 and 17 in 2020. 

Meanwhile, social disorder calls are up to 1,694 so far this year, a jump from the 1,373 reported in 2021 and 1,368 in 2020. 

CPS said it is important to recognize the development that has happened over the years in East Village as it is a likely factor in the increase in crimes reported, making it hard to tell if there is an actual increase in crime, or merely the reporting of incidents. 

The East Village Neighbourhood Association (EVNA) calls Tuesday morning's death "extremely saddening" and said it is working to address safety concerns of residents and businesses in the area.

"If you know your neighbours and you know your environment and you feel like you belong, that also adds to the sense of safety and security," said EVNA president Ken Peach. "And much is being done here to foster that sort of thing.

"There have been efforts done to put in the safety hub in the St. Louis Hotel, which is the combination of multiple services, police, social work, et cetera now present in East Village, and we see more people, more police on bicycles as well.”

The city councillor for the area says the safety hub could help, but recognizes more needs to be done.

“The fact that, you know, people are reaching out to us is a call to action for both council, administration, as well as Calgary police to take action on the situation,” Terry Wong, Ward 7 Councillor, said.

An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will be scheduled for later this week.

A justice studies professor at Mount Royal University said a lot of harm is done by tragedies like this, not only to the individual and their loved ones, but also the larger community.

“What we know about fear of crime is once it’s elevated, it never ever really returns back to where it was before the event took place,” Doug King said.

If the death is deemed a homicide, it would be the 23rd in Calgary so far this year and the second in the last three days. By comparison, there were 19 murders in the city in 2021 and 31 in 2020.

King said it’s important to look at the average and not over-magnify things like this.

“When we over magnify it, we’re doing exactly what we don’t want to do — we’re raising the fear of crime,” he said.

Police are now focused on tracking down CCTV footage from the area and speaking with witnesses to figure out what led to the man's death.

Anyone with information about this incident, or the victim's identity, is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers