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Man charged with first-degree murder to appear in court

A 21-year-old man accused of killing three guards and injuring another during an armoured car heist is to appear Thursday in an Edmonton court where he will be charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

EDMONTON — A 21-year-old man accused of killing three guards and injuring another during an armoured car heist is to appear Thursday in an Edmonton court where he will be charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

The Edmonton Police Service confirmed that Travis Baumgartner was escorted back to Alberta on Wednesday from British Columbia, where he had been held since being picked up at the border.

Police said he was processed and taken to the Edmonton Remand Centre. Baumgartner will also be charged with four counts of robbery using a firearm.

Authorities initially would not confirm that Baumgartner had been returned when an RCMP plane landed at the downtown airport just before 2 p.m. MT and pulled into a hangar.

Three police cars, two with lights flashing and one with the windows blacked out, were then seen leaving the airport.

Baumgartner was being held in B.C. after he was arrested at a U.S. border crossing near Abbotsford on the weekend with $330,000 in a backpack.

Police say Baumgartner was one of five security guards working for G4S Canada who were loading a bank machine at the university just after midnight Friday when shots rang out.

Baumgartner is expected to be formally charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Eddie Rejano, 39, Michelle Shegelski, 26, and Brian Ilesic, 35, where shot to death at the university’s HUB mall and residence. Rejano’s funeral is Friday.

Matthew Schuman, a fourth guard who was badly wounded, opened his eyes on the weekend and squeezed his wife’s hand before he slipped back into unconsciousness. He remains in critical condition with what have been described as head injuries.

Police have said Baumgartner was on an overnight crew of five that was reloading an ATM at the university’s HUB mall and residence shortly after midnight Friday.