'I want to touch his grave': Mother of Calgarian killed by police arrives in Canada
CBC
Rebecca Aker Akol placed flowers at the base of the memorial and collapsed in tears.
She has not seen her son Latjor Tuel in over 20 years, after he left Sudan where he fought as a child soldier.
And because he was killed in an altercation with Calgary police, she will never see him again.
Through a translator, she said she came because she needs closure in her son's death.
"My son was murdered. I want to touch his grave, I want to touch his body, I came to seek accountability. I demand justice for Latjor," she said.
Tuel was shot and killed by police after they were called to reports of a disturbance and a man assaulting other people.
Akol arrived in the city from Ethiopia on Saturday. Tuel's sister, Themar Kuny Tuel, lives in Calgary and also spoke through the translator, said there's a void in their lives.
"We really appreciate the support from the community, and also our friends. But really Latjor was like a father to us. We will forever miss him, because he is the one who took care of our mother. He is the one who took care of us," she said.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) has yet to release any findings of its investigation into the police use of force in the incident.
South Sudanese community leader Khor Top worries the delay risks harming relations between the community and the police even further.
"What takes so long? Why are we waiting for all of this time going now nine months, eight months, what's really going on?" he asked.
The mourners continued on to Tuel's grave site to lay flowers and say a prayer.
Calgary's South Sudanese community has expressed shock and frustration with the way the incident was handled saying that Tuel was suffering from PTSD at the time he was killed.
Many have suggested that mental health resources should have been dispatched to assist Tuel, who had long experienced mental health issues.
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