RCMP officers with the Parkland detachment left Justin Bone in West Edmonton on May 15, although his warranty terms barred him from being in Edmonton unsupervised. Edmonton Police Department officials spoke with Bowen later that day but did not detain him because “no criminal offense was reported,” the EPS said in a statement Thursday. Bone, 36, was arrested on May 18 for the murders of 64-year-old Hung Trang and 61-year-old Ban Phuc Hoang. He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Trang was beaten in a car shop and Hoang was attacked inside his electronics store on the same street. The killings have sparked outrage over high crime rates in Chinatown and sparked calls for an end to the release of those trapped in the Edmonton core. In late May, referring to the homicides, Alberta Justice Minister Tyler Sandro used his power under the Police Act to request a report from the City of Edmonton on what is being done to bring crime to justice. core of the city. On Thursday, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi outlined a comprehensive security plan. Sochi said the city plans to urge the government to stop releasing offenders from the provincial penitentiary on the streets of Edmonton.

“A walk with the stars vice versa”

Now, a family friend who housed Bone on Alberta Beach, 70 miles (70 km) northwest of Edmonton, accuses RCMP and Edmonton police of ignoring his warnings about the danger Bone could pose to public safety. “This is like a walk with the stars upside down,” the man said in an interview, referring to a widely condemned police practice that came to light in Saskatchewan years ago when police picked up natives and left them in remote rural areas. areas. “You left them in the middle of the city and made sure it was a problem in the city of Edmonton.” The CBC agreed not to identify the man. According to the court order, Bone lived with him while he was under bail. Court documents show that Bone, a recidivist, was released from the Edmonton Detention Center on April 26, 22 days before the killings. Accused of taking a break and entering, he was granted bail under strict conditions, such as a traffic ban and a weapons ban. He was prohibited from consuming or possessing drugs or alcohol. He was ordered to attend a 90-day treatment program in Edmonton and was told to live on Alberta Beach when he was not in treatment. The terms of his release prohibited Bone from being in Edmonton except for attending court, meeting with his lawyer, making medical appointments or being in the company of a family friend from Alberta Beach, unless approved in advance by her supervisor. warranty. The RCMP said that on May 15, officers from the Parkland Squad responded to a complaint that Bone was making threats at the Alberta Beach home. The owner of the house told the police that he wanted Bone to leave the house. After consulting the detachment’s domestic violence coordinator, officers found that the situation did not meet the class limit, Parkland RCMP Insp. Mike Loken said in a statement to CBC News on Thursday. The RCMP tried to contact Bone’s probation officer to discuss “alternative arrangements” but was unable to contact probation’s officer, the statement said. RCMP officers drove Bowen into town and left him unattended. “The officers, in consultation with their supervisor, decided that the best course of action would be to transport Mr Bowen to an area of ​​support and services, and left him near a social services hub at the western end of Edmonton to “He can easily access these services,” Loken said in a statement. Loken said police had notified Edmonton police of their actions. In a separate statement Thursday, an EPS spokesman said city police officers spoke to Bone that day after someone called them about him. “Officers assessed how he was found in Edmonton and since no criminal offense was found, police could not apprehend him legally,” the EPS said in a statement. “He was advised to keep the balance of his ordered conditions and discuss any changes with his supervising officer.” The RCMP arrived at Bone’s checkpoint the following day, on 16 May. “Officers were able to confirm that there had been communication between Mr Bowen and his staff member and that Mr. Bowen was working with his officer officer to obtain the support he needed.” said the RCMP announcement. Three days later, Bone was arrested shortly after the murders of Trang and Hoang. The RCMP said a review of the officers’ code of conduct was ordered on Monday this week. The RCMP also said that on Tuesday, they alerted the Alberta law enforcement director, who decided that the review should remain with the Alberta RCMP. The Alberta Beach homeowner said Bowen was unstable and delusional and should never have been released in Edmonton without support or a place to stay. “I told the RCMP, I told the Edmonton city police that he was relaxed, that he was mentally ill, that he was melting and that there was a problem and he had to be arrested,” he said. “Three different entities in the judiciary. All three failed not only me, but also Justin himself. And these two innocent people who died.” Through his lawyer, Bone declined to comment on the case or say why he was in Chinatown on the day of his arrest. The Alberta beach man said he felt compelled to help Bowen. He was a roommate of Bowen’s late uncle and had known the family for decades. Justin Bowen, 36, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder. (Justin Bone / Facebook) Bone needed a place to stay while he waited for a bed in the recovery center he had been ordered to go to. The institution, which is facing an influx of patients, does not currently accept direct transfers from penitentiaries. But soon the situation became unstable. The man said Bone was struggling with his addictions and a change in his medication. Bone began abusing drugs and alcohol and demanding money. The owner of the house said that on May 15, Bone threatened him after he asked for money and did not get it. The man knew an RCMP stop had been set up nearby. He went there to ask for help from the police. “Honestly to God, I thought I was going to die,” he told CBC. Later that day, the man went to the Parkland RCMP squad to ask where Bone was. He also asked for a restrictive decree, he said. He said the officer who arrested him told him that Bone had been handed over to the city. “I said, ‘Thank you very much, now I have to live in fear,’” the man said. “He just shook his head.” The man said that within hours of speaking to the RCMP in the excerpt, Bone called him, asking to be picked up from downtown Edmonton. He said he then called Edmonton police, telling a police officer that Bowen was in town and gave details of his whereabouts in hopes of being arrested. He said an EPS officer told him that Bone was not breaking any rules, as it was the RCMP that had left him in town. He said he made a similar phone call to Bone’s officer on May 16. CBC News spoke with the officer, but she declined to comment. Alberta Justice has not responded to questions about the case from CBC News. The man has since issued a restraining order against Bone. He said he remained haunted by the killings. Bone remains in custody pending his next trial on June 17. Court documents show he has a long criminal record, with convictions dating back to 2005. The documents depict a man with a violent and deeply troubled personal history, who has spent most of his adult life in and out of prison. His previous convictions include sexual assault, criminal abuse and assault. In 2018, Bone was convicted of two counts of sexual assault involving a minor for crimes dating from January 2012 to December 2014.

A troubled past

A Gladue report linked to the conviction shows that Bone had a troubled upbringing. Gladue’s reports explain to the courts the history of a native’s family and community. The report describes how Bone, born in Lac La Biche, Alta, was the victim of domestic violence, physical and sexual assault throughout his childhood. His family, members of Papaschase First Nation, struggled with substance abuse and homelessness. The family moved frequently to avoid detection by childcare authorities, the report said. Bone spent much of his adolescence in group homes. He took his first drink at the age of six and regularly used marijuana and alcohol at the age of 14. He later developed a methamphetamine addiction, according to the Gladue report. The man who provided Bone with a place to live on Alberta Beach said Bone needed mental health intervention years ago, but continued to slip through the cracks. “Years ago, he should have had a mental health bed, not a prison cell,” the man said. “I can do nothing more for him. He is not the same person I knew.” The killings have sparked outrage over high crime rates in Chinatown and sparked calls for an end to the release of the perpetrators at Edmonton’s core. (Nathan Gross / CBC) Trang’s daughter, Christina Trang, said Thursday she was ill when she learned of Bowen’s interactions with police. He said he could not understand why he was left in the city. He said the RCMP and police had broken public confidence. “A lot of people have to be held accountable for their actions,” he said. “This whole situation could have been prevented and the price for that, for my family, is very high.”