A man accused of killing a family doctor at a medical clinic in central Alberta is scheduled to appear in court today.
Deng Mabiour is charged with first-degree murder in death of Dr. Walter Reynolds.
Reynolds, who was 45, was attacked Aug. 10 while working at the Village Mall Walk-In Clinic in Red Deer.
One witness told media that she was in the waiting room when she heard cries for help and that a man in the clinic had a hammer and a machete.
RCMP have said the crime was not random and the two men knew each other through the clinic, although they have not said if Mabiour was a patient of Reynolds.
Mabiour, who is 54, appeared confused during his first court appearance one month ago and told a judge that he doesn’t remember and is sick.
“Listen to me. I don’t remember anything because I’m sick. I want a doctor,” Mabiour told court on Aug. 12.
“I’m telling you I didn’t remember anything because I am sick.”
The Alberta Medical Association has said that Reynolds’s death highlights a need to increase safety for doctors across Canada.
Dr. Peter Bouch, who knew Reynolds, said members of the Red Deer Primary Care Network have set up a committee to work with Alberta Health Services and Occupational Health and Safety in an effort to make clinics safer.
He said some clinics have started asking patients to leave their bags and backpacks at the front desk and, going forward, there needs to be standards for how to manage difficult patients.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2020.