Victim of fatal altercation believed to have died in hit-and-run: Calgary police

A man died in hospital after being involved in a fight outside the Portico Lounge in the early morning hours of Sept. 2, 2024.

Police believe the victim of a fatal altercation that took place Monday morning in southeast Calgary was the victim of a hit-and-run.

At around 5 a.m. that morning, police responded to reports of an altercation outside the Portico Lounge on the 1800 block of 35 Street S.E.

Arriving officers discovered signs of an altercation and signs that someone may have been in medical distress.

Police then discovered that about 20 minutes later, an injured man was brought to the Peter Lougheed Centre, where he died.

Following a Wednesday autopsy, police confirmed the man’s identity as 32-year-old Awed Ghebremeskel. They believe the cause of Ghebremeskel’s death was a hit-and-run.

Ghebremeskel was born on Dec. 3, 1991, in Port Sudan, Sudan, according to an obituary posted on the McInnis & Holloway website.

A funeral for Ghebremeskel will be held Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at McInnis and Holloway, at 5388 Memorial Drive.

Public assistance sought

Police are seeking public assistance to help establish the events leading up to the altercation, and the identities of those involved.

They’re also looking for information about a Dodge Caliber that they believe was at the scene around the time of altercation.

The vehicle is described as black, with damage to the passenger side rear end of the vehicle.

“We are working very closely with investigators in our traffic unit to investigate this death,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson of the CPS Homicide Unit. “At this time, we are focusing our efforts on identifying those involved so we can determine whether or not this death was intentional.”

Fourth violent death

This is the fourth violent death involving the Portico Lounge since 2020.

In September 2020, a fight inside the bar resulted in a fatal shooting in the parking lot. Two years later, a man was seriously injured after he was run over. He later died in hospital.

Last December, a man was killed and a woman seriously injured in another shooting.

CTV News has reached out to Portico Lounge for comment but has not received a response.

“The Calgary Police Service is aware of community concerns regarding violence around the Portico Lounge,” police said in an emailed statement.

“Citizens will likely see an increased presence of police officers patrolling the lounge, including District 4 patrol officers and our violent crime suppression team.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online or by downloading the P3 Tips app.

With files from CTV's Mark Villani and Michael Franklin