Monsurat
Family, friends and sympathizers gathered on Feb. 19 to mourn the death of Latjor Tuel who was shot and killed by Calgary police during a dispute one year ago.
The community gathered at the location where the 41-year-old was killed, near 44 Street and 17 Avenue SE, before protesting police use of force in front of City hall Sunday afternoon. Tuel who was armed with a knife and stick, was shot dead by police on Feb.19, 2022, after he allegedly ran toward officers and attacked a police dog.
Tuel’s mother, Rebecca Aker Akol, travelled from Sudan to get answers about the death of her son. She said through a translation from her granddaughter “I came all this way because I have to know why he was killed.”
“I came to ask the police, what did he do? What did he do to deserve to die? Please tell me so heart can heal.” Tuel may have reportedly been suffering from PTSD
His eldest daughter, Nyalinglat Latjor, said her father who was a teacher was well loved and wanted to make others laugh. “My father taught me everything, he was my teacher”, she said.
“He said Nyalinglat, you’re so small and when I was your age, I never had what you got. I was carrying around gun bigger than me. I never really thought of the depth of what he said until I lost him.”
“I’m going to keep yelling until they care”, Latjor said. “Cause my pain is not going anywhere, so I’m not going anywhere.” She asked the police to give explanation on what’s being done about police shootings in Alberta.
The memorial ended at City Hall with the crowd chanting “What was his name? Latjor! What do we want? Justice!”
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