Colleagues Mourn Nigerian Man Stabbed to Death by “Random” Assailant in Canada 

Colleagues, friends and family are currently mourning a Nigerian man Nicholas Ozoechi Nwonye, 46, who was stabbed to death on his way home from class.

Nwonye left Nigeria with his wife and children in 2015 and was a student at Bow Valley College. He was enrolled in the institution’s practical nursing program.

In an attack which the police say was random and unprovoked, Nwonye was stabbed in the chest and abdomen on the westbound platform of the City Hall LRT station in downtown Calgary by someone he’d never met before.

“We believe this was random in nature,” Insp. Don Coleman of the CPS Major Crimes Section said.

The tragic incident occurred at about 6.45pm on June 2. Nwonye was stabilized on scene by first responders, and was rushed to Foothills hospital in critical, life-threatening condition, where he later died.

The suspected killer Keeton Michel Gagnon, 39 was caught by the police shortly after the attack. He was arrested after he boarded an eastbound train. He was later charged with second-degree murder.

“He was just such a treat to have there. (He was) a very kind, empathetic individual. He smiled all the time. He had an impact. He had a really big impact in the classroom. He will be missed in the classroom. I know this for a fact,” Rhonda Hersak, an instructor at the school said.

According to his classmates:

Nicholas Nwonye, a student at Bow Valley College tragically passed away on June 2, 2017. Nicholas was working two jobs to support his family, while also taking nursing classes at Bow Valley College.

Eighteen months ago, Nicolas left his job as an engineer in Nigeria to bring his wife and children to Canada for a better life. And just this past March Nicholas’ wife gave birth to a son.

Please consider donating to help Nicholas’ young family get through this extremely difficult time.

To help the family, the classmates have created a GoFundMe campaign. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/nicholas-nwonye to contribute.

Story: Calagary Herald