A woman, still too shaken up to reveal her identity, happened to be in Mill Woods Wednesday afternoon where a senior was assaulted.
“I was just in the neighbourhood and somebody had watched what was going on and ran to me and said, ‘Somebody needs help they’re being kicked. Call 911,’” she said.
She said she ran to the footpath where it happened and saw the man on the ground.
“Slumped over on his side on the ground, bleeding, unconscious and not responding in any way,” she said.
“I didn’t know at the time how bad it was because he was very dressed up. I could see blood on the lower half of his face; that was pretty much all that was showing. I didn’t want to move anything for fear that he had been really seriously injured in his neck or back, but when they put him on the stretcher I saw serious, serious issues to his face and head.”
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. on a footpath near 22 Avenue and 48 Street in the Pollard Meadows neighbourhood.
“I saw a lot of police and ambulance, and I was just wondering what happened. There was a vehicle that was stopped,” said Tatyanna Singh, who lives in the neighbourhood.
Police are calling it an unprovoked assault.
“The gentleman is well known to the neighbourhood; a retiree, father, grandfather, well known to people, goes out for his daily walk and wrong place, wrong time,” said Scott Pattison, a spokesperson with Edmonton Police Service.
“If that happened to him, this could happen to anybody,” said the woman who tried to help after the attack.
He has been identified as 65-year-old William Vernon.
A family member told CTV Edmonton he is still fighting for his life in hospital.
Vernon was attacked not far from his home, in a neighbourhood where he and has family have lived for decades.
“William is a wonderful gentleman from what I’ve met and seen of him over the years,” said neighbour David Sheppard.
Police have a suspect in custody and said charges are pending. Still, police hope anyone who witnessed the assault or saw something unusual in the area of 50 Street and 23 Avenue will contact them.
“They may have seen something that could be critical to us,” said Pattison.
