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WARNING

Heather Rae Thurier, 23, was shot dead on May 21st, 2010.

Thurier was Edmonton's seventh homicide victim of the year.

Colton Barry Ferguson, 19, was charged with first-degree murder, assault with a weapon, possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited, and two counts of breach of probation.

Police have charged a 19-year-old man in connection with Edmonton's seventh homicide of 2010 after a woman was gunned down inside the Stadium LRT station.

At about 10:20 p.m., May 21st, officers responded to a report of shots fired at the station at 112th Avenue and 85th Street.

When police arrived they found a 23-year-old woman lying face down on the concourse level suffering significant head trauma. Responding EMS personnel pronounced her dead at the scene.

Early reports indicate a sawed-off shotgun was used in the shooting.

Homicide detectives took over just before midnight, and the canine and tactical units were brought in to assist.

The woman was found near the street-level entrance at the Stadium LRT parking lot. Police believed they knew who she was but did not release her identity until notification of next of kin had been completed.

The victim was described as wearing a bright green coat, with black track pants and white runners. Investigators indicated they were still trying to determine if the shooting was targeted.

"I don't know how crowded the station was, but I understand we have at least half a dozen eyewitnesses," Acting Insp. Ken Hykawy said.

"[The suspect] is described as a young male wearing dark clothing, red baseball cap and carrying a red back pack," Hykawy said. "That is all the information we have right now."

Detectives later said the woman was involved in a brief conversation or confrontation with a male. At one point he allegedly brandished a gun and fired a shot. The victim was struck and collapsed, and the suspect then fled the area.

Police further described the suspect as possibly being an aboriginal male, 16 to 21 years old, 5-feet 10-inches and approximately 160 lbs.

Investigators were searching through surveillance footage for images of the event.

LRT service was suspended at the station, with trains not making their usual stop. Passengers weren't advised of the incident, but numerous emergency vehicles in the Stadium lot indicated to travellers something serious had transpired.

A transit spokesman said busses were brought in to shuttle re-routed passengers.

Patricia Dickson termed the shooting "a random act of violence" that could have happened anywhere.

Coincidentally, all LRT service between Churchill and Clareview was scheduled to be shut down for the Victoria Day weekend as maintenance crews replace the 95th Street crossing.

Radio station 630 CHED broadcast details of the shooting that suggest the victim and the gunman were known to each other and that the matter may be gang-related – read more »

Friends and family identified the shooting victim as 23-year-old Heather Rae Thurier, a mother of two – read more »

Arrest made

On May 25th, 630 CHED was first to report that an arrest had been made in the shooting death of Heather Rae Thurier.

The station said that a man had been arrested the day before in a north-side home and police would announce charges later in the day.

630 CHED did not identify the source of their information. It was later reported by other media that a 19-year-old male had been taken into custody.

After holding off on announcing the arrest until Thurier's autopsy was completed, police advised on May 26th that Colton Barry Ferguson, 19, had been charged with first-degree murder, assault with a weapon, possession of a firearm, two counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited, and two counts of breach of probation.

Ferguson had already made his first court appearance and was set to appear again on May 28th, 2010.

The charge of first-degree murder implied planning and pre-meditation. Police so far have not identified a motive and they discounted earlier reports that Thurier and Ferguson were known to each other.

The assault with a weapon charge stemmed from Ferguson allegedly having swung the gun at Thurier's brother. No contact was made.

Ferguson's charges of possession of a firearm while prohibited and breach of probation suggested he was known to police.

Investigators credited the high quality of LRT security footage in effecting the arrest – with images sharp enough that an officer, who had previous dealings with Ferguson, was able to quickly bring the 19-year-old to the attention of homicide detectives.

Police said they were not searching for any other suspects and had yet to recover the gun used to shoot Thurier.

North-side residents were asked to check their yards for a red and white backpack that may have been dropped between Stadium LRT and the Petro-Canada gas station near 97th Street and 118th Avenue some time after 10:30 p.m. on May 21st.

Homicide detective Dan Jones said the backpack was an important piece of evidence.

"There's corroboration there because we have him on video with the backpack," Jones said.

"It'd be nice to get the backpack so we can compare it to the one in the video and just lend to some corroboration issues for us," he said, not commenting on whether the backpack could contain a gun.

A police spokesman advised anyone who found the backpack to resist the urge to look inside.

"They could take it into their house and just call police, but I would recommend against opening it because there might be an item or two of interest there that investigators would need to look at ... and the last thing you'd want is anyone touching it," the spokesman said.

Those with any information about the matter were asked 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. In Edmonton, text TIP250 + message and send to CRIMES (274637). In Northern Alberta, text TIP205 + message and send to CRIMES (274637).

Autopsy results confirmed that Thurier died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Funeral services were held on May 28th, 2010 at the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, 10821 96 Street – read more »

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 - heather rae thurier