Autopsy probes Harley Lawrence's death in N.S. bus shelter
Berwick homeless man called 'longtime friend' by town's residents
An autopsy Thursday morning is expected to determine how homeless man Harley Lawrence died in an early-morning fire in a bus shelter in the small Nova Scotia town of Berwick.
Lawrence died in a bus shelter on Commerical Street, where he slept most nights, at approximately 2 a.m. on Wednesday in the town of about 2,500 in the Annapolis Valley.
RCMP found the 62-year-old man's remains. They are investigating the fire, which they have called suspicious.
The CBC's Angela MacIvor and Jack Julian are in Berwick. Follow CBC online, radio and television for continuing coverage of the investigation into Harley Lawrence's death.
On Wednesday, investigators searched the block around the bus shelter looking for evidence that could be used in a criminal investigation.
Meanwhile, people in the community are grieving the death of Lawrence, who had been living in the town for several months. They left flowers at the shelter, and on Thursday morning, a lone candle was burning in the middle of it.
“He was like a longtime friend,” said Stanley Viner. “He always offered a hand. He was always nice, polite, talked to you. I’ll miss that — coming to Tim Hortons and seeing him.”
John Andrew, a Baptist chaplain who founded the Open Arms Resource Centre where Lawrence had stayed, said some people in the community are planning a candlelight service on Saturday to remember Lawrence.
He told CBC News a local funeral home had donated its services and family members would be coming from all over the province for what will likely be a private burial.