Victim in Ogden domestic assault dies

The victim of an assault in the Calgary community of Ogden died Saturday, police said.

The victim of an assault that took place earlier this week in the community of Ogden has died.

Officers were called to a home on the 2300 block of Crestwood Road S.E. around 9 p.m. last Wednesday for reports of a physical altercation.

A man was found in medical distress inside the home and taken to hospital.

Late Saturday afternoon, police issued an update saying the man had died.

Neighbours describe chaotic scene

Dorothy Wutzke, who lives nearby, said she and her family first noticed something was wrong when a large number of emergency vehicles began approaching the area.

“We were just sitting here and then we heard lots and lots of sirens coming,” she said.

Moments later, she said she heard a remark from an officer that made the situation feel far more serious.

“We just heard one of the policemen come in and told them to get in there because there was a guy that wasn’t breathing.”

“They went rushing in and just more and more police started showing up, they were everywhere, the front yard, the back and along the side.”

Wutzke said while the scale of the response stood out, police activity at the home itself is not unusual, telling CTV News that residents in the area have frequently contacted police about issues at the address.

“It’s not surprising unfortunately and we phone police a lot, everybody phones them because there’s just always something bad going on. There’s always something happening right there,” she said.

“I don’t like coming out of the house trying to get my four-year-old in the car quick before something happens and we don’t go out too much at nighttime because we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Despite that, Wutzke said her interactions with people at the home have often been positive.

“The guys that live there, they’re about 20 to 25ish years-old, they’re very friendly, we come outside and they’re always saying hi to us,” she said.

“It’s just sad to see something like this happen because they’re younger guys.”

Wutzke’s husband, Al, also said the incident doesn’t come as a surprise, noting that police regularly attend the home for reports of illegal drug activity.

“It’s like a flophouse, basically, there’s always trouble there, fighting or drugs or criminal activity.”

“And constantly, just a lot of different people coming in and out.”

Another neighbour, Kimberly Buchan, echoed those remarks, adding that the neighbourhood has become more transient recently with reports of suspicious activity along Crestwood Road.

“For sure it is quite shocking, but not too surprising because the cops do show up quite often down the hill,” she said.

“So, we have an issue of that in the community, but domestic violence like this, we don’t really hear about too much at all.”

Police say an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers.