BANFF, Alta. – Two murders in Banff within a month – the first in three decades – have left the community devastated and in need of healing.
John Sproule, a 20-year-old man of Lake Country, B.C., has been charged with second degree murder after the stabbing death of a 27-year-old Foothills County man near the Dancing Sasquatch in the early hours of Saturday morning (Sept. 3).
It was the second homicide in Banff this summer. Born and raised local Ethan Enns-Goneau, 26, was stabbed to death inside the same nightclub on Aug. 5. John Arrizza, 22, was charged with second degree murder and continues to be held in custody.
The previous murder in the town was more than 30 years ago in 1990 when an 18-year-old Ryan Jason Love stabbed 23-year-old cab driver Lucie Turmel for her earnings that night, which amounted to $130.
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said the community is in shock from the recent brutal violence, and like many in town, she said she feels angry, profoundly sad and overwhelmed by the second fatal stabbing in Banff within a month.
“It’s been a very difficult time in our community; we’ve been shaken to our core by these incidents,” she said.
“Folks are deeply upset, disturbed, and traumatized, and if anybody needs help, please reach out for help.”
Mayor DiManno said town council is taking these violent incidents very seriously and will take the time to understand what happened and why.
“Even though the RCMP have indicated this is an isolated incident, we are a community that is still in mourning and is still heartbroken at a similar incident that robbed of us of a long-time resident last month and we need to make sure this doesn’t become a trend,” she said.
“We are listening to the residents who are talking to us about risks and concerns and we will be working with several community groups, RCMP, Barwatch, industry leaders and the YWCA to examine ideas, options and programs that could enhance crime prevention and security for everyone.”
In the Sept. 3 homicide, Banff RCMP responded to a 911 call just after midnight alerting them to an incident involving a man who had been been stabbed in an altercation outside of Dancing Sasquatch on the 100 block of Banff Avenue.
When police arrived, the man from Foothills County was taken to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital where he was declared dead.
Police took two men into custody, however one was later released after it was determined he was not involved in the homicide. Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit took the lead in the investigation, with the assistance of Banff RCMP and the RCMP Forensic Identification Unit.
Before his arrest, the suspect fled Banff Avenue to an area along Marten Street where he tried to break into at least two homes.
Natalie Zammit was sleeping in her Marten Street apartment when her Golden retriever, Oakley, started “losing it at the door.”
When Zammit got up to check, she saw a shadow cross the blinds and then heard someone tapping and knocking on the door, jiggling the handle. When she yelled at him to leave, she said he started throwing his body against the door.
In response, she threw her entire body weight behind the door and her boyfriend raced out the bedroom to help, screaming at the person desperately trying to force his way in to ‘f… off’ and leave.
“It’s actually only when he heard the male’s voice that he did actually leave,” said Zammit, adding she was on the phone to 911 once he raced up the outside stairs of the apartment complex.
When police arrived, she said they discovered blood all over her door.
“That’s when I started crying. It was setting in that someone was like violently trying to get in,” she said.
“Our entire door handle was coated in blood, it was on the side, on the door frame, on the ground.”
Another neighbour told Zammit the man fell off the roof to the ground below while attempting to reach a balcony of another unit.
“It was really awful at the time, and I’ll be honest, the nights are still pretty hard,” she said.
“During the day I feel fine, and I feel fine to talk about it. It feels like I’m telling a story, an experience, but then night-time comes, I break down and can’t slept, just listening.”
Police were quick to advise that Saturday’s murder was in no way related to the stabbing death of Enns-Goneau at the Dancing Sasquatch last month.
Dancing Sasquatch, which is owned by the Banff Hospitality Collective and was closed immediately after the death of Enns-Goneau, only recently reopened its doors.
James Fraser, director of media and marketing for the Banff Hospitality Collective, said due to the proximity of the incident, the Dancing Sasquatch team immediately reported the incident to the RCMP via the Banff Barwatch radio network and were among the first to respond.
“We are shocked and saddened that within such a short time frame, we are again faced with the reality of violence in our community,” he said in a statement.
Fraser said the company first wants to express its sincere condolences to the victim’s friends, family, and loved ones.
“We also extend our gratitude to the first responders, including the team members from nearby venues, residents of Banff, and the RCMP,” he said.
“The level of coordination, critical thinking, and selfless action was heroic.”
Fraser said Banff Hospitality Collectives continues to work with team members and the community to identify opportunities to bolster the safety of Banff’s downtown core.
As the community and its employees works through challenging time, he said the company is providing support and assistance to its team members.
“Our teams continue to work alongside the RCMP to assist in the ongoing investigation,” he said.
Following the stabbing death, police taped off the 100 block of the pedestrian zone on Banff Avenue between Caribou and Buffalo streets, but it reopened to the public in the afternoon. However, several businesses remained closed for the remainder of the day along the busy street.
Staff Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr, the detachment commander for Banff RCMP, said the police acknowledge the concern the general public may have, due to the two recent violent deaths in Banff.
“RCMP believe these to be isolated incidents, and that there is no further concern for the safety and security of the general public, including both residents and visitors of Banff,” he said in a statement.
Buxton-Carr said RCMP officers are committed to safety and protecting the community.
“Banff RCMP actively patrol the downtown core, including the pedestrian zone, every night to provide a visible deterrent to crime and are available at all times to respond to calls from the public for assistance,” he said.
Mayor DiManno said the late night police patrols on Banff Avenue have been in place for the past several summers.
“It’s late night active foot patrol. They park a cruiser at Caribou Corner on Caribou Street and then one or two officers make the rounds,” she said.
“I think it is very effective at preventing late night crime or mischief.”
In spring, Banff town council decided to fund an extra police officer for the RCMP detachment, beginning in July, following feedback from the community.
“We determined the level of service was not high enough for community safety,” said Mayor DiManno.
At the same time, council agreed it would consider a second police officer during 2023 budget deliberations, which get underway at the end of November.
As part of that discussion in spring, council also directed administration to lobby the province to fund RCMP staffing levels as outlined in Banff’s 1990 incorporation agreement.
The Town of Banff has been arguing the province reneged on some of its RCMP funding commitments several years ago.
The 16-member detachment, with several police officers on leave over the last couple of years for varying reasons, has been struggling with the workload in the tourist town, which has a high crime severity index.
Mayor DiManno said she wants the province to step up.
“It’s laid out in the incorporation agreement to have them help fund our policing because of our nature as a tourist town, then those commitments should be upheld,” she said.
The Town of Banff was working with Bow Valley Victim Services to offer supports to specific staff and responders who were at the scene of the fatal stabbing.
“We were coordinating with Bow Valley Victim Services to make sure they were set up for folks who needed support services,” said DiManno.
Heather Jean Jordan, a Banff singer-songwriter and music teacher who began playing the church bells at St. George’s-In-The-Pines in March 2020 to inspire hope during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, took to the church bells on Monday (Sept. 5), which also happened to be the one month anniversary of Enns-Goneau's tragic death.
“These two violent incidents in our community, it’s so hard on all us, to be walking around just knowing this happened,” she said.
“It rises up out of nowhere, it kind of surprises you, that pain and the loss that comes with it… it just seems like there’s a lot of suffering right now.”
The sounds of the church bells playing Amazing Grace, Blowin’ in the Wind and Let it Be rang out throughout the community again on Monday.
Jordan said many people recently mentioned that hearing the church bells during the pandemic offered an emotional release or feeling of togetherness for the community.
“With these recent incidents, I noticed what I was seeing on Facebook and from chatting with people was people were feeling really alone and scared or just so sad,” she said.
“I think the bells are just so powerful at connecting people. I wanted everyone to feel that connection again, maybe peace, and it’s important to take time to be with these feelings.”
Mayor DiManno said she was able to heat the church bells as she was crossing the pedestrian bridge on Monday.
“It instantly took me back to spring of 2020 when we were all isolating from one another and couldn’t spend time with one another,” she said.
“When Heather would play those bells, it brought us together. When I heard those bells on Monday again, the first feeling I felt with togetherness for our grieving community.”
Sproule's next court appearance is Oct. 5, while Arrizza will be back in court Sept. 28. Both men are being held in Calgary Remand Centre.
