2017 attack victim still feels safe after deaths in building

There have been two murders in his building in 2018.

Last year, he was thrown off his wheelchair and brutally beaten while taking his dog for a walk, just down the street.

But despite all that, Robert Carignan still feels safe living at Marquis Towers.

“Personally I’ve never had any issues,” he said.

He spoke briefly with 650 CKOM days after a man was found injured in a hallway of the building. The man later died of his injuries, prompting Saskatoon’s eighth murder investigation of the year.

In April, educator Colin Sutherland was found dead in his apartment and his girlfriend was charged with murder.

Carignan was attacked a short distance away in July 2017, when a man looked him in the eye and told him “It’s your day to die.” He suffered a broken jaw, fractured skull and bruising to his face, arms and legs.

But he doesn’t associate the attack with the building, and sees the recent killings as localized incidents.

“I’ve lived here for years and years, walked my dog everyday, and not one day a bad thing happened,” he said.

He added problems can be expected when living in the city core, but he’s not concerned.

“I mean, it’s downtown right?” he said. “But I like living downtown, and this building let’s me keep my dog — which is the most important thing, right?”

Another resident, who identified herself as “Dakota,” said the recent attacks are unnerving, but there’s still a great community at Marquis Towers.

“There’s so many people who just stop and chat, even just to pet my dogs,” she said.

“It’s a really nice building, I really like it.”

No one has been arrested in connection with Friday’s murder.