U.S. border officials on Saturday afternoon took Travis Baumgartner, the rogue G4S security officer who killed his fellow officers and stole an unspecified amount of money from a G4S armored truck at the University of Alberta, into custody. Baumgartner was trying to pass into Washington state southwest of Abbotsford, B.C.
Edmonton police homicide detectives travelled to British Columbia on Saturday evening to interview Baumgartner, who is wanted on three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and four counts of armed robbery. “We have a team of eight EPS investigators that flew into B.C. last night, who are busy sifting through evidence, including the suspect’s vehicle, as we speak,” Bob Hassel, superintendent of Edmonton police’s Criminal Investigations Division, said in a statement on Sunday. “Sheriffs will be accompanying the accused back to Edmonton sometime next week.”
In an update on Monday afternoon, Hassel said Baumgartner had cooperated with law enforcement officials. However, Edmonton police have yet to locate Baumgartner's firearm or the body armor he wore as a G4S security officer the evening he perpetrated the crime. Hassel did confirm that police are confident that Baumgartner was "the lone perpetrator" in these crimes.
On Friday, I found Baumgartner's Facebook page. His profile photo shows him in a black balaclava and dark sunglasses. A spokeswoman for G4S wouldn't comment on whether the company knew of the photo on his social networking site.
In the meantime, G4S Cash Solutions over the weekend released the names of the victims. "On June 15, at approximately midnight, three G4S crew members, Michelle Shegelski, Brian Ilesic and Eddie Rejano, tragically lost their lives in a shooting incident at the University of Alberta in Canada. Another crew member, Matthew Schuman, remains in critical condition in hospital," a company statement reads. "This is a devastating tragedy. Again, we send our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the shooting in Edmonton, to their families and friends, and to our employees."
G4S has set up a fund with TD Bank to help the families of the victims. "Simply ask at the TD Bank branch to mark your donation to 'the families of the victims of the University of Alberta Edmonton Shooting,'" according to the company statement.
