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WARNING

Scott Preece, 28, was stabbed to death on August 7th, 2010.

Preece was Edmonton's sixteenth homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

knife found | images of potential witnesses released

Police continue to investigate Edmonton's sixteenth homicide of 2010 after a 28-year-old man was found stabbed near the Callingwood Crossing strip mall.

Responding to 911 calls, officers arrived on scene and discovered a body on the northeast corner of 172nd Street and 69th Avenue at about 3:11 a.m. on August 7th, 2010.

A canine unit and the Air Two police helicopter were brought in to assist.

The man was soon pronounced dead at the scene having suffered an apparent knife wound – see additional images »

69th Avenue, between 170th and 176th Streets, remained blocked off for most of the day. The parking lot of the adjacent Callingwood Crossing strip mall was also secured.

Some officers canvassed the neighbourhood near the intersection for witnesses while others scoured the ground for clues.

Several residents heard loud arguing just before 3:00 a.m., followed by screaming – read more »

Homicide detective Bill Clark later brought media up to speed on how the investigation was progressing.

"A male had been stabbed. Upon our members' arrival, the male was already in cardiac arrest. We attempted first aid on him, but could not revive him.

"By the time paramedics arrived on scene, the male had passed away," Clark said.

"It's still early in the investigation. It's not believed the victim and the suspect are known to each other.

"We are still investigating as far as motive and everything else," Clark said.

The veteran detective said the attack was witnessed by at least five people.

"Our victim was with a friend of his, who we have interviewed already, and we got a lot of information from that gentleman," Clark said.

"And there were also several people in a vehicle who saw parts of the altercation – didn't see it all but did see our suspect fleeing the area. He was seen in the area running northbound.

"It does not appear that our suspect and victim knew each other. There was an argument between the two. We're just trying to decipher everything that went on and led up to this.

"Right now it looks like alcohol may have been a factor – but we don't believe it is gang-related or anything of that nature at this time.

"But, it is early in the investigation, and we are looking into all those angles."

Clark said police would also be looking at surveillance tapes seized from businesses in the shopping plaza.

Investigators described the suspect, last seen running northbound on 172nd Street, as a skinny 20-to-25 year old white male, about six feet tall, wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and dark pants.

The woman who saw the man screaming in the street said he had blonde hair.

Police said they were also interested in speaking with a group of people seen in the area immediately prior to the fatal altercation.

Knife found

It was later revealed that around 10:00 a.m. on August 7th morning a woman living near the strip mall spotted something from her third-storey balcony.

She went down to ground level and made a shocking discovery – read more »

Notification of next of kin had already taken place. The victim's name wasn't being released by authorities until after an autopsy had been completed but on August 8th family revealed his identity to media as part of a plea to bring his killer to justice.

Family said 28-year-old Scott Preece, a heavy duty mechanic from Devon, had just grabbed some snacks from a Mac's convenience store in the Callingwood Crossing strip mall when he and a friend were set upon by a man wielding a knife.

Preece was staying in town with a friend after attending an Edmonton Eskimos football game.

RIP Scott Preece - opens in new tab or window

Family soon set up an RIP Scott Preece tribute page on Facebook, the popular social networking site.

Images of potential witnesses released

On August 9th police revealed autopsy results confirmed that Preece had died from a stab wound.

They also made the rare move of releasing images of two persons sought in connection with his death.

Investigators said they wanted to speak with two men seen on security video from the Callingwood Mac's store taken just prior to the fatal stabbing.

Police emphasized the two men were possible witnesses and not persons of interest.

"We do know that they were in the store at the same time when our victim and his friend were in the store and they left just seconds after our victim's friend left," Det. Clark said.

"We believe they would have seen something or heard something in the parking lot. We would like to speak to these two men, so we need to identify them because we believe that they may have seen our suspect.

“They might not realise what they saw led up to a murder,” Clark said.

Later, detectives were able to speak to one of the men after he presented himself at West Division station.

Police did not reveal what information the man was able to provide, citing investigative reasons, but that it did merit follow up. After questioning the man was considered "cleared."

Det. Clark later said the man was with two friends who were waiting in a car.

"I have my detectives out, they're going to speak to those people today," he said.

"They were outside during the time. If they knew what was going on, hopefully they were looking in that direction of the parking lot where everything occurred and can add some more information for us."

Later, the other man came into the Westmount police station and was interviewed by investigators. In this case, police stated the man did not witness Preece's murder.

“They both came in on their own and we appreciate that,” Clark later commented.

Note: Edmonton police removed the original images from their web site and requested media to do the same. In one instance, this was done at the request of the pictured subject's family.

On the third day after Preece's murder, police indicated they had interviewed over two dozen people but that no new leads had been developed.

"We're still following up with a few people from our door-to-door inquires at the neighbourhood, but no one has called in," Clark said.

Scott's family took matters into their own hands and began distributing posters to maintain public awareness of their tragedy in hopes of tracking down those responsible.

Investigators continued to ask anyone with information about the matter to contact Edmonton police at 780-423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or online at www.tipsubmit.com. Tips can also be text messaged.

The Edmonton Police Service web site entry for Scott Preece 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 2010 - scott preece