‘Terrified’ man who wanted to jump from balcony found shot to death

Janelle Silvey had just got home from shopping when she heard someone running down the hall. She opened the door of her ground-floor suite and a man pushed his way in and slammed the door shut.

“He said his buddy got shot and someone was after him,” Silvey said, adding the man was crouched behind her door. “He looked terrified.” The man, who appeared to be in his late 20s, asked to jump off her balcony. He was in his stocking feet. Silvey told him to get out. He fled through a window.

Silvey, unharmed, called police. She said she had never seen the man in the building before.

Police continue to investigate the man’s death at the three-storey walk-up at 8930 149th Street, beside a strip mall with a Second Cup, Bank of Montreal and Pizza 73, just before 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re investigating a suspicious death and the homicide unit is assisting us,” Acting Staff Sgt. Colin Lethem said.

Police confirmed they responded to a call of a man being shot at the apartment building around 4:20 p.m. Officers found a dead man, who appeared to be in his 30s, in an apartment suite.

On Sunday, a police officer stood guard at the door leading to the third-floor apartments and three police vehicles were parked in the back lot.

Most residents didn’t open their doors, but those who did looked shaken and refused to say much.

“There were quite a few witnesses,” Silvey said, who has lived in the building for about four years. “Most people are nervous to talk.”

She said police took fingerprints from her door and window.

When police arrived Saturday, one officer was stationed across the busy street with a gun drawn, said employees of a nearby store. About five other officers entered the building with their guns drawn and another officer was stationed at a door on the building’s south side for about half an hour.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is expected early this week.