Victim of suspected homicide ‘loved life’

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This article was published 26/07/2018 (2792 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation man who died last weekend in Virden is being remembered as an easy-going father of three who loved life.

Clarence Eastman Jr., 31, died in hospital after he was found at a residence in Virden on Saturday in what police are treating as a homicide.

Canupawakpa Chief Viola Eastman, who is Clarence’s aunt, said his death has impacted the whole community, located approximately 30 kilometres south of Virden.

“It hit everybody hard,” Eastman said, adding that another member of the community was lost in a highway accident a couple weeks ago.

Known by those closest to him as simply “JR,” Clarence grew up in Canupawakpa and had been doing seasonal work, Eastman said, including replacing Manitoba Hydro poles.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Hydro said any information on an employee is a matter of confidentiality and would not be disclosed.

A hard worker, Eastman said her nephew was raised by her brother, Clarence Sr., before he died in 1999. Clarence lived with his mother after that.

“He liked to laugh and he liked to tease,” Eastman said. “He loved life.”

Clarence’s death happened on Saturday after the Virden RCMP received a report at approximately 1:15 p.m. of a man in medical distress at a residence in town.

A news release issued on Tuesday afternoon reported that several people were on scene when officers arrived and the victim appeared to have injuries consistent with “being in an altercation.”

The victim, whom police have yet to formally name but has been confirmed as being Clarence, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were involved or if a weapon was used in the suspected homicide.

RCMP spokesperson Tara Seel said police do not confirm the names of victims.

“As to anything further, this is an ongoing homicide investigation and we have released everything we are prepared to speak to at this point,” she said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Virden RCMP, RCMP Major Crime Services and RCMP Forensic Identification Services are assisting with the investigation.

Chief Eastman was at a powwow in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on Saturday and did not hear about Clarence’s death until later that day.

She said she hasn’t received any other information from the police about exactly what happened to her nephew.

Eastman said that she has given her condolences to the mother of Clarence’s children.

For now, an annual powwow that was scheduled in Canupawakpa over the August long weekend has been cancelled.

“Right (now), I think we need some time to mourn, to grieve and to find some healing,” Eastman said. “I think that’s what we need to do as a community.”

Even before police had characterized the death as a homicide, news of Clarence’s passing had already begun to spread.

Sheldon Gould, a longtime friend of Clarence’s, first heard rumblings about it online from friends on the reserve and through conversations he had with others by text message.

Those rumblings eventually turned into rumours of a possible homicide, which were finally confirmed by police on Tuesday.

“You wouldn’t expect him to be killed in a homicide, especially in Virden,” Gould said.

Gould first met Clarence in the seventh grade, after moving to Virden from his hometown of Reston.

He said that even then, Clarence went by the nickname “JR.”

As one of the bigger kids his age, Gould said that his future friend started out as somewhat of a bully to him.

The two moved on to separate high schools, but years later, Gould and Clarence would reconnect and become best friends.

Clarence would call Gould at least a few times a month to see how things were going and every once in a while, Gould would offer Clarence work through his landscaping business.

Over time, Gould came to see Clarence as not only a kindhearted, caring person, but also a respected family man as well.

“He’d give his shirt off his back for you,” Gould said.

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