Gunshot witness recalls night Edmonton security guard gunned down

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Tammi Comeau won’t soon forget the night Harshandeep Singh was slain in her apartment building.

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The 20-year-old international student from India, just three days on his new job as a security guard, died in the stairwell at 10603 107 Ave. early in the morning of Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

Comeau was just drifting off to sleep when a shot shattered the quiet.

“That was a gunshot,” her son told her. Alarmed, Comeau and her son hit the floor and Comeau dialled a neighbour. No answer — she was out on a smoke break.

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“I was freaking,” Comeau recalled. She dialled 9-1-1.

“I think I heard a gunshot. My son said it was a gunshot,” she told the police. “Did anybody else call?”

Suspecting it might be nothing, said told the operator she didn’t want to waste their time.

Then she went looking up and down the hallway.

Nothing. She hadn’t heard any running.

Then a neighbour down the hall asked if her husband was home and could he help?

“She says, ‘The security guard’s laying there on the floor downstairs,’” Comeau recalled.

“I called 9-1-1 back again and I got on the phone with them,” she said.

The paramedics came, and she watched as they worked to save the security guard.

“Even before the video went viral, I knew he shot him in the back, I saw the entry wound.

“I noticed when he was laying there. His cellphone was still in his hand, the way he laid on his belly,” she said.

As she returned to her apartment, she saw stickers on him for the defibrillator.

“(The news) said that he died in the hospital but I’m pretty sure he was already gone,
she said.

The following day, police arrested Evan Rain, 30, of no fixed address, and Judith Saulteaux, 30, charging them with first-degree murder and possessing a prohibited weapon.

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Neither lived in the building where Singh was shot.

Rain was specifically not allowed in the 36-unit building, Comeau said.

“He was banned from there,” she said.

But that didn’t stop him from staying there, she said.

“He just stays at people’s houses and just kind of takes over,” she said.

He had a handgun, a friend said.

Rain told her son he was in a biker gang.

The building has 33 two-bedroom units and three three-bedroom units on three floors.

Comeau moved in during the summer, brought to Edmonton by her husband’s work in the construction industry, and to the apartment by its affordable rent and proximity to schools and services.

Quickly she found that there were people who were persona non grata — but that didn’t stop them from terrorizing residents— including one armed with machete who threatened her if she didn’t let him in.

“When I was going into the front door, I said I’m going to get kicked out if I let anybody in.

“He said, ‘Go ahead and try to stop me.’ And he pulled out his machete.”

There were other issues with the apartment, namely cockroaches. And the air conditioning didn’t work, Comeau said.

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The family is looking for a new place to call home. But memories of the night Singh died just down the stairs from her apartment haunt her.

“I think I got a little bit of PTSD. Once in a while, if I hear a big bang or something, I jump,” she said.

“I never realized what that was all about,” she said. “You can’t control your own body.”

First responders plan tribute

The Alberta First Responders Association (AFRA) is making plans to make sure Singh isn’t forgotten.

On the job just a few days before being killed while making rounds at the property, he was on the front lines as a security guard and so is considered a first responder, said AFRA president Jerry Galliford.

“While security members aren’t ‘sworn’ members, they are on the front lines, they do respond to calls for service, and they absolutely put themselves in harm’s way to keep their territory safe,” he said.

“Who is and who isn’t a first responder can be a hot topic. But by definition, if you are the first on scene, you are one,” Galliford told Postmedia.

“I’ve been working with the family and employer to ensure we can honour and celebrate the life of young Hashandeep Singh properly as a first responder who was killed in the line of duty. We are organizing an honour guard that will be represented by many different agencies, such as corrections, sheriffs, policing, EMS, and many more,” he said.

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“I expect a large showing of uniformed members from across the province. As well, I have received many messages from across the country from security and law enforcement personnel who wish they could be present for the service and wish us well for our efforts to bring this honour to Singh.”

The AFRA tribute is set for Sunday, Dec. 15, at noon at the Edmonton Crematorium and Funeral Home, 6403 Roper Rd. NW.

GoFundMe hits $122,000

A GoFundMe account set up for Singh’s family by Gulzar Singh Nirman had exceeded $122,000 Tuesday evening.

“This senseless act of violence has left his family, friends, and loved ones shattered and struggling to cope with this devastating loss,” Nirman wrote.

“His untimely death has left an unimaginable void in their lives, both emotionally and financially.”

The funds will help cover the costs of sending Singh’s body back to India and assist with funeral expenses, legal costs and other unforeseen financial challenges.

“Harshandeep’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of how precious and fragile life is. As a community, we have the opportunity to come together and support his family in their time of need,” Nirman wrote.

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“Let us honour his memory by standing united and providing his family with the support they need to heal. Thank you for your compassion.”

jcarmichael@postmedia.com

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