Memorial grows in northwest as Calgary’s African community rallies behind grieving mother

A memorial for 2 children who were found dead on April 30 has started in northwest Calgary.

A small memorial has been erected in northwest Calgary to pay tribute to two children who were found dead in an SUV last week.

The memorial went up in the 4500 block 14 Street N.W.-- the spot where the children were discovered Thursday -- although police believe the killings happened around midnight Wednesday.

They also say it was the father who called police to report the crime.

“The accused contacted 911 and stated that he had killed his children and gave his location,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Rahn at a Friday press briefing.

Police say the father picked the children up to take them to a playground.

When they did not return, the mother contacted police and was told her best recourse was through the courts.

Investigators say that’s where they found her Thursday, when they delivered the news in person.

Publication ban

The identities of the victims and the accused are protected by a publication ban, and they will not be named.

Friends of the mother tell CTV News the couple was separated but still on good terms.

Police confirm they had been called to the home four times in the past but no charges were laid.

Barely able to stand, the children’s mother was helped into St. Michael Eritrean Orthodox Church Friday.

Inside, members of the Eritrean community wept openly, mourning the loss.

“It has never happened in our community, and it is a devastation for us and the whole community,” said Goitom Mengesha with the Eritrean church.

“We are just shaken by what has happened here.”

A card inscribed with a handwritten message was included in a bouquet of flowers laid at the base of the memorial Saturday afternoon.

“My heart goes out to the two children who tragically lost their lives here,” it said, “Along with the mother and family. I am so sorry for your loss and your angels may be gone, but they will never be forgotten.”

The father is scheduled to appear in court Monday. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Calgary African Community Collective rallies

Charles Odame-Ankrah, the executive director of the Calgary African Community Collective said the community is rallying to support the grieving mother and is reaching out to the rest of the city for assistance.

“We woke up to the tragic news of two innocent lives being taken by the man who is supposed to have been their protector. This news has really devastated the community, and looking at what the family is going through, (and what the) the community is going through, as an African community in Calgary, we’ve decided to come together to raise awareness,” he said.

He said members of the organization have made multiple visits and have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for funeral expenses and to help the grieving mother, who he said is struggling and traumatized.

“She’s not sleeping,” Odame-Ankrah said. “We have moved community resources at the disposal. 24/7.”

‘Urgent cry for help’

Odame-Ankrah said the influx of immigrants from all different parts of Africa into Calgary has created a challenging situation that’s a combination of cultural, economic and mental health circumstances that can turn tragic.

“We are in a community faced with a lot of influx of immigrants from different backgrounds,” Odame-Ankrah said. “Some are coming from (political) displacements, some are coming from extreme violence, some are economic migrants.

“So with all this mixed bag (of new arrivals), we have some that the existing system is not equipped to help them integrate smoothly -- especially those with trauma and from where they’re coming from,” he said.

“We’ve been speaking and advocating that we should look into systems to be able to help address these grassroots effects, because mental health is real -- but when you have another layer beneath that, which is trauma -- it becomes even more difficult to do,” he added.

“This is what our community is being faced with, and we are hoping that government, (the) city and other agencies will listen to this urgent cry for help to apportion adequate, not bandage funding -- (we require) adequate resources to be able to deal with these issues.

“We need therapists,” he said. “We need places of safety. We’ve opened Mandela House, we’ve opened Ruth House, but it’s full. It’s overflowing. They don’t have the capacity to even handle the cause anymore.

“So we are calling for help (with) this tragedy. We were not expecting it, but as a leader, I am not too surprised, because we know what we are dealing with in our community, and it’s quite tragic.”

With files from CTV News’ Damien Wood and Kevin Green