Slain peace officer 'a tremendous fellow'
Suspect charged with 1st-degree murder, appears in court Monday
The peace officer killed after visiting an acreage southwest of Calgary had moved to the area to be closer to his family, friends say.
Rod Lazenby worked with the RCMP in Ontario for over 35 years — many of them as an undercover officer in the homicide unit. He retired in 2006 and took a job as a bylaw enforcement officer in High River, Alta., where his daughter and grandchildren live.
"Many times he'd be going for a lunch with his family. Weekends were all about going to the farm and seeing all his family," said Geoff Carpenter, Lazenby’s supervisor at the Municipal District of Foothills.
"He loved working with everybody and being with everybody. He was just a tremendous fellow."
Lazenby was dropped off at a southeast Calgary police station in his own SUV on Friday morning. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The man who dropped him off, 43-year-old Trevor Kloschinsky, is now charged with first-degree murder.
Lazenby had been called out to Kloschinsky’s ranch on several occasions to deal with complaints about the man’s 36 dogs.
"Thought we were on the downward spiral of getting this concluded in a positive fashion. So this comes as a great shock," said Carpenter.
The dogs remain on the property where they're being fed and watered until it's released as a crime scene.
Bylaw officer was unarmed
Lazenby was a level-two peace officer, meaning he was not armed with pepper spray or a baton.
Alberta’s Solicitor General says that the department will look into changing the equipment given out to enforcement officers after police complete their investigation.
Kloschinsky is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Calgary Monday.