2 people arrested on 1st-degree murder charges tied to security guard's death: Edmonton police
Police found Harshandeep Singh, 20, unresponsive in apartment building stairwell after reported gunshot
Two people were arrested Friday afternoon, each suspected of first-degree murder in the death of a security guard, Edmonton police said Saturday.
Harshandeep Singh, 20, was pronounced dead at hospital after officers found him in a stairwell, while responding to a reported gunshot inside an apartment building early Friday morning, police said.
Late that afternoon, police arrested Evan Rain and Judith Saulteaux, both 30 years old, and charged them with first-degree murder in connection to Singh's death, police said.
Murder is first degree when it is planned and deliberate, the Criminal Code states. But some homicides, regardless of premeditation, are automatically considered first-degree murder, such as the killing of an on-duty peace officer.
The police service usually doesn't release a victim's identity until after their death has been confirmed as a homicide, said homicide section Staff Sgt. Rob Bilawey in a news release issued Saturday afternoon.
An autopsy, which police said is scheduled for Monday, would determine whether the manner of death is homicide.
In this case, however, police released Singh's name "for an investigative purpose" and to hopefully relieve public safety concerns.
Around 12:30 a.m. Friday, Edmonton police were dispatched to an apartment building at the corner of 106th Street and 107th Avenue, in the Central McDougall neighbourhood, after receiving a call about a gunshot inside the building, police said.
Responding officers found Singh's body in a stairwell, police said. Police have yet to specify his injuries, although an autopsy would also determine the cause of death.
Investigators believe Rain and Saulteaux are the only suspects, police said, and they recovered "a weapon" during their arrests.
Homicide detectives are still investigating the circumstances that led up to the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Tips can be sent anonymously to Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-8477.