EDMONTON — A 27-year-old man has been charged in connection with a stabbing at the Nanaksar Sikh Gurdwara last month. On Sept. 4, Austin Sim-Pelletier was charged with two counts of assault causing bodily harm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and mischief. The Edmonton Police Service hate crimes unit was still looking into whether there was any evidence to support hate-related criminal provisions. At a Thursday news conference, however, Staff Sgt. Eric Stewart told reporters that “at this time, there wasn’t evidence to support those (hate crime) charges.” Police were called to the gurdwara at 4:49 a.m. on Aug. 21 after receiving reports of a stabbing. It was reported that a man entered the gurdwara during morning prayers and was confronted by staff. The confrontation escalated and two people were stabbed. Witnesses detained the assailant and he was arrested at 5:10 a.m. when police arrived. A 75-year-old man and a 51-year-old man were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries. They were still recovering as of Wednesday. A day before the stabbings, Sim-Pelletier was released from a federal institution somewhere in Alberta. Police say he failed to report to his designated halfway house. Police are still investigating how he got to the gurdwara from where he was dropped off by corrections officers in the city, Stewart said. He added there was less urgency to lay charges because Sim-Pelletier was returned to prison quickly. “We first want to work with the community and want to work with our victims to ensure that we are providing them the support they need,” Stewart said. Stewart said he also couldn’t comment on the lucidity or mental state of the accused while the investigation was ongoing. Sim-Pelletier is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 18. In 2024, Sim-Pelletier was sentenced to 28 months and six months for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer, respectively. World Sikh Organization says community was ‘uneasy’ World Sikh Organization spokesperson Nam Kular says Edmonton’s affected communities understand the stabbings weren’t “premeditated to an extent where we need to be more secure or safe,” but it was an “uneasy” month. “Now that the individual has been identified, the other part of it is that we need to get the broader community on the same page,” he told CTV News Edmonton. “The anti-Sikh hate that’s been going on for months across the country needs to be brought to an end and make sure it doesn’t boil over.” But Kular says the gurdwara will continue to stay open late nights and early mornings. “We live as a cohesive community. Gurdwara is an open place to anybody and everybody.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum and The Canadian Press
