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Fernando Alberto Vasquez, 24, died of gunshot wounds on January 21st, 2009.

Vasquez was Edmonton's third homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

In the three weeks since the city's last murder, that of the December 31st stabbing death of 18-year-old Steven Lee Mills, Edmonton homicide detectives were no doubt catching up on old case files. All that changed quickly when the city recorded its first two murders of 2009 – just 45 minutes apart.

In one case, a man on a parking lot fired shots into a black SUV. In the second, a person inside a black SUV fired shots at a man on a street. Police later said the victims, Vasquez and Cody Lee Johnson, were known to each other through a drug connection.

The first call came in at about 11:23 p.m. January 20th, 2009 after a black Cadillac Escalade SUV slammed into a house at 7707 156 Street.

Paramedics, thinking they were responding to a simple collision call, quickly realised they had something more serious on their hands. The driver had been shot in the neck and in the upper torso.

After attempting to resuscitate the man, EMS pronounced him dead at the scene and police were called in. The man was later identified as 29-year-old Cody Lee Johnson.

The second call came in at 12:13 a.m. January 21st, 2009 after a white male was found gunned down and lying face up in a pool of blood on McAllister Loop, west of 111th Street and just north of MacEwan Road, in the city's southwest.

Area residents reported hearing up to seven shots followed by the sounds of a vehicle racing away.

Police set up a tent over the man's body.

Homicide detectives focused on a late-model Toyota, parked oddly at an angle to the curb, and a nearby electrical box. Shell casings littered the road. The Toyota was later impounded.

"This is definitely a homicide," detective Brian Robertson said, adding the victim was most likely killed and died where he was found.

The man's body was removed by mid-morning and police continued to work on establishing his identity.

Witnesses told media that they woke to the sound of numerous gunshots.

One person standing outside smoking saw a light-coloured car with its headlights on in the area. After she went inside she heard the car peel off.

When she looked out to see what her dog was barking at, she saw a man lying in the middle of the road.

One woman looked out her window and saw a smaller black SUV – possibly a Landrover – first pausing with the passenger reaching out, then quickly speeding away.

It was then she noticed the man laying in the middle of the road, motionless and completely straight.

Another woman told CTV Edmonton of a comment made by an investigator at the scene.

"I just said 'How old is that person?' and they said, 'Probably in their early twenties ... but if you live that way you die that way' or something to that effect."

The officer was likely referring to the "MTV lifestyle" described by Insp. Kevin Galvin, head of the Edmonton Police Service's Co-ordinated Crime Unit, at a recent media awareness session – visit Bad Times Headed for Boomtown, an exclusive Last Link report.

Police initially said the two homicides appeared to be unrelated.

"We haven't made any connections between the two yet," Robertson said, adding it was yet too early to say that they are definitely not connected.

"That's one possibility we're considering."

A police spokesman later indicated detectives were still trying to figure out if the cases were related.

“Certainly when you have two incidents like this so close together in the city in the same area of town, that’s something we need to look at,” he said.

On January 22nd autopsy results indicated that 24-year-old Fernando Alberto Vasquez had died of gunshot wounds.

Vasquez and Johnson were known to police and to each other through a drug connection. At the time of his death, Vasquez was facing a number of drug charges.

The investigation into the sequence of events and the suspects involved continues.

A police spokesman later said investigators had received good information about possible suspects and they no longer require the public's assistance.

Also confirmed was that the drug unit was now playing an active role in the cases. The gang unit had been notified from the outset, but a gang connection had yet to be established.

While police had yet to draw conclusions, a criminologist was quite convinced the shootings were gang-motivated and a sign of more violence to come – read more »

Information coming from a friend of one of the two men shot possibly suggested that Johnson's shooting was a case of mistaken identity.

"Fernando used to own the Cadillac, but he sold it to Cody. So that's why Cody was in the vehicle," Ignacio Claveria told the Edmonton Journal.

Claveria, who was a longtime friend of Vasquez, started a carpentry business in 2008 with his cousin. When Vasquez still owned the Escalade he offered to put their company sticker on the back of the SUV.

Claveria said he had met Johnson once or twice, but didn't really know him. Neither did he think Vasquez was involved in drugs.

"He was a great person. He never involved his friends in any of that," he said.

"He was a great guy, always happy, cheerful, generous. He always wanted to help. He saw us open up our company and right away he offered to promote it."

Claveria said Vasquez's mother was extremely distraught over the loss of her son.

Claveria and Vasquez, both members of Edmonton's Chilean community, had known each other since they were young.

Vasquez had attended Holy Trinity High School and was a big sports fan, following the Edmonton Oilers and playing soccer.

"He'll be sorely missed," Claveria said.

Images of person of interest released

On September 11th, 2009 police released images of a person of interest in connection with the death of Fernando Vasquez. It was the first major development in the case in almost nine months – read more »

CTV Edmonton's coverage of Vasquez's murder can be seen here.

The Edmonton Sun's coverage can be seen here.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Fernando Alberto Vasquez can be seen here.

The Edmonton & Northern Alberta Crime Stoppers web site entry for Fernando Alberto Vasquez can be seen here.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against the individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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deadmonton 2009 - fernando alberto vasquez