Second suspect released without charges, say RCMP

RCMP have charged one man following the fatal stabbing of a 27-year-old man in Banff, Alta. just after midnight on Saturday.

John Proule, 20, from Lake Country, B.C. has been charged with second-degree murder, RCMP said in a statement on Sunday.

Police said a second suspect who was also taken into custody on Saturday was released without charges because they determined he was not directly involved.

Saturday’s homicide is the second one in the mountain town within the past four weeks.

RCMP said they responded to a 911 call that a man had been stabbed around midnight on Saturday. It came after an altercation outside of the Dancing Sasquatch nightclub in the 100 block of Banff Avenue.

When they arrived, police found an injured man from Foothills County, Alta. He was transported to hospital where he was declared dead.

RCMP said they believe this incident is not related to another deadly altercation that happened outside of the same nightclub, earlier in August, that left a 26-year-old man dead.

“Police acknowledge the concern the general public may have, due to the two recent violent events in Banff,” RCMP wrote in a statement Saturday afternoon.

“RCMP believe these to be isolated incidents, and that there is no further concern for the safety and security of the general public, including both residents and visitors of Banff.”