A psychiatric assessment has been ordered for a man who was allegedly involved in a robbery at a Fas Gas in West Park that left the clerk injured from gun shot wounds.
RCMP said at 11:20 p.m. on Sept. 11 a lone male entered the gas station, walked up to the clerk at the counter and produced a sawed-off shotgun.
When the clerk placed the money on the counter the suspect discharged the shotgun. The victim was hit in the hand and face and continues to recover in a Calgary hospital.
The suspect was last seen fleeing westbound on Cronquist Dr. on a bicycle.
He turned himself into Blackfalds police on Sept. 13.
Jeffrey Lyle Geary, 30, of no fixed address in Red Deer has been charged with attempted murder, robbery with a prohibited firearm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession of a loaded prohibited firearm and possession of a stolen prohibited firearm.
Geary was remanded into custody and will appear in Red Deer Provincial Court on Oct. 31.
The victim, who has been identified as Jaysen Arancon Reyes, 26, moved to Canada from the Philippines this past spring.
He currently remains in a Calgary hospital where he is recovering.
In addition, the Filipino migrants group Migrante-Alberta is hosting a fundraising event on Oct. 19 at The Hub on Ross got Reyes.
The group will be showing ‘The End of Immigration’, a one-hour documentary about the lives of temporary foreign workers in Canada and the impact they make in Canadian societies. Filmmakers Malcolm Guy and Marie Boti’s documentary tackles how Canada’s Temporary Worker Program is creating what they described as ‘rent-a-workers’ trend in the workforce.
In a recent passport outreach mission in Red Deer by the Philippine Consular Office this Sept. 21-24, members of Migrante-Alberta asked Consul General Jose Ampeso whether the Philippine government office has known Reyes’ case. According to Ampeso, a representative had visited Reyes on Sept. 21 and had made report to the foreign affairs department in Manila. However, there was no mention of any form of support at present to Reyes or his family.
The group has partnered with settlement service agencies Central Alberta Refugee Effort (CARE), Catholic Social Services (CSS), and Central Alberta Immigrant Women’s Association (CAIWA) and The Hub on Ross for the film showing. A panel discussion will take place towards the end of the event.
Proceeds from the event will be forwarded to Reyes and his family through a trust fund established by Parkland Fuel Corporation, owners of Fas Gas. Tickets for the event, which will be held from 1-4 p.m. at The Hub on Ross on Oct. 19, are $10.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
