Crimes and deaths

By Kristin Nikonetz

The month of December was deceptively quiet on the University of Calgary campus.

A U of C student walking through the playing fields on
Dec. 22 along Collegiate Road found the body of a 50-60-year-old male. Calgary police informed Campus Security the deceased died of natural causes, and identied him as a local resident.

"It appears that the deceased had come onto campus and died of natural causes. A student found the deceased lying in the snow and contacted security. Security, in turn, contacted Calgary Police Services," said Campus Security Manager Lanny Fritz.

A U of C student posing as a physician accessed confidential patient records from the Calgary Regional Health Authority. Calgary Police Services arrested the individual on Dec. 21 and charged him with illegally accessing computer databases. He violated 68 records, but there is no evidence that he examined any of those patients. How the suspect accessed these records is under review and the police are working to retrieve any records that were copied.

Also during the holidays, a U of C student discharged a dry chemical fire extinguisher into the face of a Kananaskis Hall resident. The victim is recovering from superficial injuries.

"Young people that live in residence or visit residences should have an appreciation for the value of fire equipment and its potential to save lives," said Fritz. "There have been several examples in several universities’ residences where fire equipment needed in a time of a fire was not available and was either damaged or vandalized, or, in some cases, stolen, thereby increasing the likelihood of injury or loss of life."

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