A friend of the man found dead in a Sherwood Park parkade where there were two explosions told CTV News there likely was explosive material in his car, but that what happened was out of character.
John Tokar became friends with Kane Kosolowsky when they were in high school, after Tokar crashed his truck into Kosolowsky’s car.
“First thing the guy says to me: ‘No worries, man. That’s why we got insurance.’”
The two had a lot of the same interests and became friends.
“[We] both enjoyed being outdoors, we both enjoyed quading, shooting, you know, going travelling,” Tokar said.
They continued to hangout after they graduated, often at Kosolowsky’s farm where they would spend hours at the range.
“In those moments, out in the pasture there, just the two of us—it was kind of our getaway.”
The friendship came to a sudden end on Tuesday night when, after two explosions at the Strathcona County Community Centre, police found Kosolowsky in a car in the parkade with a bullet wound. He died later in hospital and was deemed the only suspect.
“They said they found tannerite in the vehicle he was in, and a firearm was recovered,” Tokar said.
Tannerite is an explosive compound used for long range target practice, but police have not confirmed what caused the two explosions.
Tokar doesn’t think Kosolowsky caused the explosions on purpose.
“He shouldn’t have anything to do with this, and if he did, things went really sideways in a hurry. They say it’s out of character. I think that is an understatement beyond recognition. Everybody who knew him in his day-to-day and who loved him knows that that’s not who he is. And that’s why we want answers.”
The parkade is still an active police scene.
With files from Jeremy Thompson
