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Young man dead after house party beating Victim knocked to the ground with repeated blows: witness; police treating death as suspicious
Daniel Campbell
Northern News Services
Updated: Wednesday, August 28, 2013
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A 20-year-old Ottawa man is dead after a fight at a house party on Loutitt Street in Frame Lake South last weekend.
Emerson Curran: Was spending his summer in Yellowknife working for Air Tindi as a dock hand. |
Emerson Curran was working in Yellowknife for the summer as a dock hand at Air Tindi's floatbase in Old Town. He began working there in May. Reports say he was scheduled to return home to Ottawa the day after the party.
RCMP responded to the incident shortly after midnight on Aug. 24. A man was said to be in need of medical attention after an altercation at the house party. He was transported to Stanton Territorial Hospital by ambulance, then medevaced to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.
Curran was pronounced dead on Aug. 25.
A witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, said Curran punched another man, who then retaliated. The man rained blows upon Curran, knocking him into a piano, then to the ground, where he continued punching him until he was unconscious.
Onlookers crowded around the unconscious Curran, while witnesses said two individuals were attempting to provide CPR but were blocked by the crowd. Shortly after an ambulance and RCMP arrived.
The witness reported seeing a suspect being taken away by police.
As of Tuesday afternoon, RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Barry Ledoux said they have no suspects in custody. Police are treating the death as suspicious.
RCMP Major Crimes Unit and Forensic Identification Services, along with Cathy Menard, chief coroner of the Northwest Territories, and the Alberta Medical Examiner's Office are assisting in the investigation.
Ledoux said their investigation has ramped up since Curran's death.
"Given the fact that we have a death, our investigation has taken a different direction," he said.
Ledoux said police won't be releasing any additional information surrounding the incident because they are still in the preliminary stages of their investigation. He said RCMP are still looking for witnesses and talking to people who were at the party.
Curran was the son of prominent Ottawa journalist Michael Curran, who publishes the Ottawa Business Journal.
On the day of his death, Curran's girlfriend Jillian Gummo posted on Facebook, "Can't even explain this day. All I ask for is good energy for all of the people whose lives were shaken today."
A philosophy student, Curran was heading back to Ottawa for his third year of study at the University of Ottawa.
Trevor Wever, the president of Air Tindi, said workers at the airline are feeling the loss.
"Our team at Air Tindi is deeply saddened by the loss of Emerson and want to extend our sincerest condolences to his family and friends. This is a terrible tragedy. He was a wonderful young man, who was excited to work in the North for the summer and quickly became part of our team working at the Float Base," Wever wrote in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.
Curran's younger brother, Liam, posted a message on Facebook on Monday: "Emerson Curran, you were a great brother and role model. You were fair, caring, loving, fun and really funny. We all love you and miss you, hope you're on your way to heaven. Goodbye for now big brother."
Police are asking anyone with information regarding this matter to contact Yellowknife RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
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