The mother of a Calgary man shot dead by police earlier this year arrived in the city Saturday from Sudan as calls for justice mount.
Latjor Tuel, 41, was shot and killed by Calgary police Feb. 19 in the 4500 block of 17th Avenue SE after officers responded to a weapons complaint.
“Latjor needed help, not a bullet in the head or chest,” said Tuel’s mother, Rebecca Aker Akol, who placed flowers at the spot where her son shot.
Tuel, a child soldier who grew up in Sudan and moved to Calgary in 2000 to start a better life.
Akol hadn’t noticed her son in nearly two decades, but she knew he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and never imagined his last stop would be at a Calgary cemetery.
“My young people want this closure, I want to touch his grave, I want to touch his body, I came here to ask for responsibilities,” he said.
“I ask for justice to Latjor. Je to know who killed him. Me to know why. “
Tuel, a child soldier who grew up in Sudan and moved to Calgary in 2000 to start a better life.
According to investigators, Tuel was carrying a knife and holding a stick in the incident that led to his death. Video of the incident shows Tuel surrounded by several officers as he sat on the sidewalk and was continually asked to drop his gun.
Police said non-lethal weapons were used, but efforts to succeed in the nonviolent negotiations led officials to fire their guns when Tuel approached and stabbed a police dog.
Tuel reportedly fired 4 times through two officials. He died at the scene where his frame remained for several hours while officers confined the scene. No police officer was injured and the police dog was taken to an animal hospital in a life-threatening condition.
“Latjor, the one who took care of us, was like a father to us. It’s very hard for us to see our mom at a time like this, it’s very hard emotionally and physically,” said Tuel’s sister, Themar Kuly Tuel.
“Justice is for all of us, everyone is responsible, justice for Latjor. If justice is served, at least we will have closure. “
CTV News reached out to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which is continuing the incident.
The province’s police watchdog is asking witnesses to provide more information, but when asked for an update on the investigation, nothing was provided.
CTV requested a timeline for the duration of the investigation and no definitive reaction can be given.
Calgary police have said in the past they responded to an attack call about Tuel and not an intellectual fitness report.
“This referred to a person, armed with weapons, who had committed an assault,” Chief Mark Neufeld said earlier this year.
“It was a call from the police and the police were the right resource. “
Khor Top, president of Calgary’s South Sudanese community, says more intellectual fitness resources were sent before Tuel’s death.
“I was struggling, I didn’t want a bullet, I wanted counseling, trauma remedy and medical remedy,” Top said.
Akol hadn’t noticed her son in nearly two decades, but she knew he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and never imagined his last stop would be at a Calgary cemetery.
“Justice now means holding other people accountable and having a fair way of doing things instead of the police just safeguarding communities. If there is a long-term challenge for those who are struggling, justice means that those who can look good. “assistance or take them to the hospital.
Top adds that rebuilding between Calgary police and the local Sudanese network is a matter of expanding security.
“So if the police are willing to build the dating and accept it as true with the community, I think it’s not difficult,” he said.
“It only takes the willingness to paint in combination like netpaintings and be there for netpaintings members for everyone’s safety. Building this dating is essential.
Charles Odame-Ankrah of the Calgary African Community Collective also weighed in on the issue and called on police to implement greater de-escalation skills.
“Latjor didn’t have a gun, he had a stick and a knife. I was just looking for help. I was going through intellectual stress. That’s how tragic Array is,” Odame Ankrah said.
“Evil has no color and we must emphasize that whether you are Caucasian, black, Caribbean or of any race, it doesn’t matter and we have to call it what it is. “