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Suspect charged in 1 of a series of violent attacks in downtown Calgary

Calgary police have charged a suspect in a series of attacks in the city's downtown core on Friday. (Dave Gilson/CBC - image credit)
Calgary police have charged a suspect in a series of attacks in the city's downtown core on Friday. (Dave Gilson/CBC - image credit)

Calgary police have charged a man in relation to one of a series of random attacks in the downtown core early Friday morning.

The Calgary Police Service said Conner Dery, 25, has been charged with aggravated assault and carrying a concealed weapon in relation to an assault at Fourth Street LRT Station.

Police said in the release, sent Saturday afternoon, they confirmed that one of the initially reported attacks — that a victim was knocked unconscious in the 1000 block of Sixth Avenue S.W. — was unfounded. Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding three other attacks reported the same day.

"We continue to believe that these attacks are random, and we have not identified a clear motive," Supt. Cliff O'Brien said on Friday. "There is no common theme among the victims that the investigators have zeroed in on at this time."

Police had said that at 3:15 a.m. Friday a man called for help from the Fourth Street LRT station saying he had been knocked unconscious and slashed with a machete. That man's condition has improved and he's expected to be released from hospital this weekend.

Thirty minutes later, a second victim was located unconscious in a bus shelter at Sixth Avenue and First Street S.W. That man was found in life-threatening condition. His prognosis has since been upgraded to stable, but he's expected to remain in hospital "for some time," police said.

A third victim, who was attacked near the south end of the Peace Bridge, was taken to hospital with hand injuries, and has since been released.

Dery is set to appear in court on Monday and will remain in custody until then, police said.