First-degree murder charge laid as Red Deer mourns slain doctor

He added that police have determined a possible motive for the killing but did not provide details. Grobmeier did note that RCMP are not aware of Mabiour having any mental issues.

“Dr. Reynolds’ colleagues as well as members of the public (who were) in the clinic acted quickly to come to the aid of the victim and to minimize the harm to others,” he said.

Reynolds is being remembered fondly by those who knew him, and those who didn’t are also showing their support.

Response to a GoFundMe campaign in support of the Reynolds family has been overwhelming with over $65,000 having been raised as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“His friends, colleagues and community mourn an exceptional human being lost too soon. We all are devastated and heartbroken,” reads the GoFundMe page.

Family physician Dr. Peter Bouch says he’s not surprised to see the community stepping up in such a huge way.

“Red Deer is a great community, always has been a great community. They stand behind their family doctors,” Bouch said Tuesday. “I know his patients, in talking to one or two of them, really thought he was a great doctor and a great help in many of their times when they had problems. It’s not surprising for me to see this outpouring just because he was a good guy and really a good physician.”

A memorial in honour of Dr. Walter Reynolds sits near the Village Mall Clinic – Credit Sheldon Spackman

Bouch remembers Reynolds as a dedicated family man who loved his wife and two daughters.

“He was always talking about them on occasions that we would meet. He was also a dedicated doctor towards his patients.”

Bouch says Reynolds, like him a native of South Africa, worked for nearly a decade to find his footing before settling in at the Village Mall clinic.

“There are a lot of family physicians and some specialists from South Africa, and we all know who each other are and we will support each other in times of need, and this is definitely that time. I think we will all reach out to his family and support them.”

Bouch says the tragedy has hit the local medical community hard.

“We’re still reeling and the raw emotion is still there, but I think we need a lot of discussions in town amongst the physicians to try and come up with a way that we can make our medical clinics safe, not only for ourselves but also for our other patients,” he noted.

“A lot of us have been thinking a lot about this for the last almost 24 hours now and wondering, who’s next and how could it possibly happen?”

Anina Mullin, who was at the clinic when the fatal attack took place, says Reynolds had been her family’s doctor since 2006.

“He delivered both my kids… He was the most amazing doctor,” she said.

A community vigil for Reynolds is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at City Hall Park.

by Troy Gillard and Sheldon Spackman

First-degree murder charge laid as Red Deer mourns slain doctor

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