Calgary

Police ID man killed in parking lot of Calgary restaurant

Calgary police are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead outside Mazaj Lounge & Restaurant.

Daniel Dudgeon, 32, was found in the parking lot of the Mazaj Lounge & Restaurant

Daniel Dudgeon, 32, was killed outside of Mazaj restaurant in south Calgary on Friday, police say. (Facebook)

Police say a man's death in a restaurant parking lot on Friday is now being investigated as a homicide. 

Police were called at approximately 11:20 p.m. to the parking lot of the Mazaj Lounge and Restaurant at 9223 Macleod Trail S.W., after reports of a man in medical distress.

When EMS arrived, the man, 32-year-old Daniel Dudgeon, was pronounced dead. An autopsy was completed on Monday.

Police said it's believed Dudgeon spent some time inside the restaurant before he was killed.

"It is extremely likely that other patrons of the restaurant may have critical information that could help investigators solve the case, whether they had an interaction with the victim or not," Staff Sgt. Colin Chisholm of the homicide unit said in a release. 

"Information that seems irrelevant or insignificant can often be the piece of information that investigators are missing."

On Saturday, officers were seen at the parking lot searching for evidence, raking through a snowbank near where the body was found. 

Anyone who visited the restaurant on Friday between 7 p.m. and closing is asked to call the police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or the homicide unit's tip line at 403-428-8877.

Crime Stoppers accepts anonymous tips at 1-800-222-8477.