A man was shot in the same Central McDougall building just weeks before a security guard was gunned down on Dec. 6.
On Nov. 21 around 4:54 a.m., patrol officers responded to a reported shooting at the apartment building at 106th Street and 107th Avenue.
“Upon arrival, police located an adult male who had been shot. EMS responded, treated and transported the male to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries,” Carolin Maran, spokesperson for police, wrote in an email to CBC News.
Police continue to investigate.
Fifteen days later they were back to find the lifeless body of Harshandeep Singh, 20, in the building’s lobby.
Evan Chase Rain and Judith Saulteaux, both 30, are facing first-degree murder charges.
Police were not able to provide information by deadline about the number of times and types of calls officers have responded to at the property recently, but anecdotally tenants, retailers and community members have told CBC News it is a frequent occurrence.
Last May, a proposal by police prompted the city to review the property’s business licence.
“The review resulted in several conditions being imposed on the business to help address criminal activity and disorder on the premises, deficiencies in building management, maintenance, and security,” Tania Gonzalez, a city spokesperson, wrote in en email.
A residential inspection safety compliance team is now monitoring the property while city enforcement officers, alongside police, Occupational Health and Safety and Alberta Health Services work with the owner to bring the site into compliance, Gonzalez said.
Businesses that violate conditions are subject to fines.
The city wouldn’t say what those conditions were but retailers showed CBC News where security cameras had been installed while a security guard began patrolling the site.
Singh, an aspiring police officer who was studying business administration at NorQuest College, was killed on his third day on the job, while patrolling by himself.
“It was a hundred per cent avoidable tragedy without question,” said John McDermid, a certified protection professional in Edmonton whose experience in the field spans 26 years, including five years training security guards.
“This young man should have never been there in the first place.”
National Security Guard Protection Services did not respond to CBC’s request for comment and building owner Van Vuong declined comment.
Occupational Health and Safety said it does not comment on active investigations but the province noted that legislation requires employers to assess workplace health and safety hazards and take reasonable steps to eliminate or control hazards. Steps taken are up to the business owner.
‘Without the support and backup’
McDermid said the hazards of a security officer — who receives 40 hours of training prior to working in the field, often starting out on a wage of $17 to $20 — are many.
He said many security companies don’t spell out the risks to new security guards or properly implement safety measures such as risk assessments.
And unlike police officers, who patrol in pairs, there are no rules requiring security guards to do so, and they work unarmed.
With the rise in addictions, mental health crisis and homelessness, McDermid expressed concern about the additional responsibilities and dangers being downloaded onto security guards.
“Security guards are the first first responders, more often than not,” McDermid said.
“They’re dealing with the same people and the same priorities and prolific offenders as police are dealing with, but without the support and backup.”
He says what’s needed is continual training, along with better standards and enforcement of those standards to enhance safety for security guards and the people they protect.
He wants to see a dialogue take place to examine and define the role of security guards and says the profession would benefit from being recognized as a trade or critical service.
Harshandeep Singh, 20, was killed while patrolling an Edmonton apartment building on Dec. 6 . A spokesperson for his family says Singh was working alone. As Travis McEwan reports, some in the security industry are calling for improved safety legislation in the wake of the shooting.
On Thursday, Mike Ellis, minister of public safety, said his department will provide him with recommendations and that the tragedy speaks to the need for more police officers, which the government is currently implementing.
The property has also been the subject of multiple recent orders by AHS.
In the past two years, the building has been cited for many health violations including cockroach infestations, mould, heating issues and inoperable smoke alarms.
