Edward (Eddy) Ronald Wilson, 22, was shot to death October 22nd, 2009.
Wilson was Edmonton's twenty-third homicide victim of the year.
Jason Seruhungo, 21, was charged with manslaughter, extortion and three firearms-related offences.
A 911 call at about 11:30 p.m. October 22nd, 2009 brought emergency services to the Westfield Village townhouse complex near 98th Avenue and 180th Street after a man was shot in the back of the head.
"Obviously ambulance responded, we responded and EMS has taken the male to the hospital," Insp. Terry Rocchio said at the scene.
"We've called out our homicide team because of the seriousness of the injuries."
A man, believed to be in his 20s and wearing a neck brace, was carried out of the three-bedroom home on a stretcher. He had suffered massive head injuries and was later pronounced dead at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
"It does appear that these people are known to each other," Insp. Rocchio said of the victim and his assailant. "It was not a random attack."
The two were also known to police who first figured an ongoing dispute between two rival groups was behind the incident.
Several occupants of the townhouse were interviewed and homicide detectives worked with the gang unit in a city-wide effort to track down the shooter.
In the commotion after police arrived, one man came out of the house and vomited while another man charged inbetween officers demanding to see the victim – see images »
"Hey, where's my fucking Eddy?" the man yelled. Police had to subdue the man, later identified as one of the victim's uncles.
A vehicle, possibly a black or blue Cadillac Escalade, had been seen speeding away from the area.
Investigators later surrounded and searched a house near 36th Avenue and Woodvale Road but came up empty-handed.
The townhouse in the west end was sealed off for examination by forensics staff. While police worked the scene, media canvassed the neighbourhood – read more »
Area residents offered varied opinions as to who actually lived in the townhouse and what they were like.
Some said there were three or four young men "who looked like regular guys" who lived there while others thought one or two women also called the place home. All agreed the tenants moved into the three-bedroom unit over the summer, and that there were often people coming and going on weekends.
Most interviewed didn't recall any trouble at the townhouse.
"The [tenants] are very nice," Jean Veilleux said. "There were no problems."
However, several neighbours said they slept through the shooting, conditioned by the noise of the neighbourhood.
"This area is always kinda noisy with teens," one resident said. "Noise is normal."
The operator of a nearby day care said she was not surprised to hear a shooting had occurred at that unit.
"There seemed to be a lot of negative activity occurring there over the last few years," she said.
The woman cited that arrests were made at that unit over the summer for what she understood to be drug issues.
She also thought the tenants owned pitbulls. She herself only saw one, but staff members reported seeing two different dogs.
"I always hear people partying over there in the blue houses. I would never have thought it would come to this, that's for sure," Katelyn Campbell said.
"I live right down the street and think that's horrible. I can't believe it. We were like 'Oh my gosh' because we'd seen the [crime scene] tape. That's it, I don't know. I don't think I'm going to be walking anymore."
Another woman described her concerns.
"A little scared, that's for sure. These people are troublemakers in the neighbourhood, that's for sure," Stephanie Lester said.
"They always have lots of people over ... parties and stuff like that. There have been problems here before ... I'm kind of nervous about it now."
Several people witnessed events immediately before and after the shooting.
An argument between a man and a woman took place outside the townhouse. The man then entered the home, smashing the door on his way in. The woman followed him inside.
The pair went to an upstairs bedroom. An open window allowed one neighbour to hear screaming between the two.
Soon after, he noticed a car with its flashers on in front of the complex. Then police and paramedics arrived.
The neighbour said he didn't hear a gunshot.
As one man was being brought out on a stretcher, the neighbour saw another man standing outside – throwing up.
"If you see your friend get shot, maybe you get anxious," he said.
"I heard some yelling, peeked my head out, heard some more yelling," another neighbour said. She too did not hear a shot.
"I know what a gunshot sounds like," she said. "We're hunters, we hunt moose."
A third neighbour was watching television when she noticed the flash of red and blue overhead lights. Peering outside, she saw a woman talking to officers.
"She was saying something about [the victim] getting into an argument with the shooter, him leaving and coming back with a gun.
"She said something about how she punched the suspect in the face," the woman said.
The events of the night had some wondering about what was happening to society.
"Very very, very much. I come from a small town in Nova Scotia. I come in to this big city and see the way things are happening ... it's frightening," Barby McIsaac said.
"Not that it doesn't happen everywhere, but it's frightening."
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Later in the day, police identified the shooting victim as 22-year-old Edward Ronald Wilson, also known as Eddy. An autopsy confirmed he had died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Police immediately issued a Canada-wide arrest warrant for 21-year-old Jason Seruhungo.
Seruhungo was described as an African male, 5-feet 10-inches and 161 lbs. Police considered him to be armed and dangerous.
It was learned that the south Edmonton home police had searched belonged to Seruhungo's brother.
Showing obvious signs of grief, Jason Phillip, Eddy's uncle, told media about a young man who was robbed of his chance to turn his life around – read more »
"Eddy and his sister were side-by-side downstairs," Jason told CTV Edmonton.
"From what I was told, it looked like he was grabbing, like ducking down because he heard the gunshot – grabbed the top of his head and then dropped."
According to Jason, Eddy was visiting a cousin at the townhouse and was in the basement when a wild round struck him in the head.
Earlier in the evening, a man had been evicted from the home for being too rowdy.
The man returned, Jason said, "forced his way back in, still screaming and yelling at everybody. He pulled out a gun ... and put a shot at one of their feet, they jumped back, the bullet went through the floor, and hit Eddy in the head."
Jason lived just blocks away and arrived at the home within minutes.
"As far as we've been told, he died in the [ambulance]."
Jason said his nephew had gotten into trouble as a kid, but was now straightening out his life so he could take care of his two young children.
After graduating from high school in Spruce Grove, Eddy and Jason worked together for a time, doing security. Recently, he joined his two cousins to try and get a siding business going.
"Three or four years ago, if this would have happened, I wouldn't have been shocked," Jason said. "But here he is, he's turning his life around, he's getting out of all the crap ... it's not fair.
"Here he is, 22 years old, with two kids, trying to get a life, get a job and get away from all this and a stray bullet ends up taking him."
Talking to Global Edmonton, Jason said he had a heart-to-heart talk with his nephew about a month before and still remembers what Eddy said.
"He said, 'I want to do good, I want to get a better life, I want my Dad to be proud.'
"He's too young. He got robbed ... he got robbed. And now this innocent young kid that's getting his life on track – trying to raise a family – he perishes for what?"
Jason said he planned to get a tattoo of Eddy's initials to wear as a tribute (see below).
He had ended his earlier CTV interview with a caution for the man responsible for killing his nephew.
"He's gonna get it, the law's gonna come at you ... plain and simple. There's no hiding."
With the story making the front page, it didn't take long for someone to get the message.
On October 26th, Jason Seruhungo turned himself in at police headquarters downtown at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Two men, believed to be lawyers, accompanied the man. Also in attendance were the media – see images »
Film crews from Global Edmonton, CityTV, the Edmonton Sun and the Edmonton Journal all somehow managed to be on hand when Seruhungo showed up at headquarters – but who tipped them off to his arrival remains a mystery.
Seruhungo was caught on tape before he made it off the sidewalk, suggesting that police and media were aware in advance of the wanted man's plans to turn himself in.
While homicide detectives continued to investigate, Seruhungo faced charges of manslaughter, extortion and three firearms-related offences.
With Seruhungo now safely behind Edmonton Remand Centre bars, nearly twenty of Eddy's friends and family members gathered at Black Market Tattoo and Piercing in the city's north-east to honour the 22-year-old.
Eddy's sister, 20-year-old Melissa, recalled for media what happened the night her brother was shot – read more »
"I watched the whole thing happen so I'm still having a hard time with it," she said. "He (Seruhungo) was upstairs and I was downstairs with Eddy and suddenly it all just happened.
"We heard a gunshot go off and I looked at my brother ... he got shot in the head and he fell down. All I could do was scream."
Melissa said she and her brother both knew Seruhungo but they were not friends.
"Everytime I look at this tattoo I'm just going to think of how much he loved me," Melissa said of Eddy.
The sentiment was echoed by her uncle Jason.
"Everyone just loved him. So we're just here to give a little back to him," he said.
Another dozen people were expected to also honour Eddy with a tattoo, Melissa said.
"I was the first to get it done – I wanted it that way."
A trust fund was set up for Eddy's two daughters, one aged 16 months, the other just two months.
Account #2290427 was set up at Canadian Western Bank locations to accommodate donations.
A public memorial for Edward Wilson was held October 30th, 2009 near the family home in Spruce Grove.
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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