Detectives probing second suspicious death this week

Body found at fire scene Wednesday; No cause of death for man found Monday

Homicide detectives are investigating the second suspicious death of the week after a body was discovered in a Wednesday apartment fire that may have been arson.

Officers driving by the apartment building at 117 Avenue and 80 Street spotted smoke coming from the building before alerting residents and calling in Edmonton Fire Rescue (EFR) around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Minutes later, fire crews discovered the body of a male in a secondstorey suite and homicide detectives were called to the scene.

City police arson investigators, along with fire rescue personnel, quickly deemed the cause of the fire suspicious.

The Wednesday case follows the Monday suspicious death of a 20-year-old man found in the Gold Bar neighbourhood.

An area resident called police after finding the body of Mason Montana Landry in some bushes near 103 Avenue and 42 Street around 1 a.m. Monday. Homicide detectives deemed the death suspicious although a Tuesday autopsy by the Edmonton medical examiner failed to determine an exact cause of death.

Toxicology tests, which can take months, are now underway.

While the death is classified suspicious, detectives released Landry’s name, saying it “serves an investigative purpose.”

In a flyer handed out to residents in the area, police are asking for any Monday outdoor video surveillance footage.

They are also asking for any information about a white SUV seen in the area that morning.

The discovery of Landry’s body early Monday was followed by a downtown shooting that left a 22-year-old man clinging to life in hospital.

Police believe the man was shot during an altercation between several males and the violence was not random in nature.

Edmonton has recorded 13 homicides to date.