Student Alfred Okyere stabbed to death just months after arriving in Saskatoon

Alfred Okyere recently moved from Ghana to Saskatoon as an international student.

But less than four months after arriving in the city, the 23-year-old was stabbed to death at his part-time job, and his family and friends are now waiting for answers.

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According to the Saskatoon Police Service, officers found the 23-year-old suffering from stab wounds at a business in the 3900 block of Millar Avenue on Monday. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

“We’ve lost a great individual. We’ve lost a hard-working young guy,” said Okyere’s friend Alexander Osei-Owusu.

“We’ve lost a friend and a brother,” he added. “He had all the positive qualities.”

Osei-Owusu said he met Okyere at the Church of Pentecost on Cynthia Street, which they both attended. He said it’s difficult to comprehend what happened to his friend, and said Okyere’s family members are waiting anxiously for more information.

“This is a pure, senseless act of violence, and we don’t even know how to explain why it happened because we don’t have answers,” he said.

Friends and family members of Alfred Okyere are waiting for answers after the 23-year-old student was stabbed to death in Saskatoon. (Alexander Osei-Owusu/Submitted)

Lydia Obeng, Okyere’s sister, said her children are constantly asking her where their uncle is.

“I’m feeling very depressed about this whole situation. I can’t even think straight,” she said.

Obeng said her brother started a job at DSI Underground Canada Ltd., a mining product company, last Wednesday. He was also accepted to study computer science at the University of Saskatchewan.

Osei-Owusu said he was told by police that Okyere was stabbed “17 times in a space of 30 seconds.”

Troy Leclair, 53, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder on Monday. He’s set to appear in court on Wednesday.

Osei-Owusu said he and Okyere’s family will attend the court proceedings with the support of Saskatoon’s Ghanaian community.

“Everybody is shaking and panicking. Everybody is looking for answers, but we trust the system and process,” Osei-Owusu said.

“We’ve lost a friend and a brother,” said Alexander Osei-Owusu, a friend of 23-year-old Alfred Okyere. (Alexander Osei-Owusu/Submitted)

Paul Stephenson, regional CEO of DSI Underground North America, confirmed an “incident” occurred at the Saskatoon facility, but said further details could not be provided due to the ongoing police investigation.

“Our hearts go out to all those directly affected by this tragic event,” he said in an emailed statement.

Stephenson said Leclair was not an employee at DSI Underground Canada, but was a contractor employed by another company.

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, while Okyere’s death is being investigated as a homicide, the Hate Crime Unit has also joined the investigation to examine if hate was a motivating factor.