Kane Kosolowsky, the young man linked to a pair of explosions earlier this week in an underground parkade in Sherwood Park, was a “good guy” with a bright future, says a longtime friend.
Carlie Nicole can’t reconcile what happened Tuesday evening with the friend she knew.
“It’s so out of his character,” Nicole said in an interview with CBC News Friday. “He was a really, really good kid.
“He was a happy guy. He had nothing to be upset about.”
Two explosions rocked the Strathcona County Community Centre on Tuesday evening. Shortly after the first explosion, Kosolowsky, 21, was discovered badly injured inside a vehicle in the parkade. He was taken to hospital, where he later died.
RCMP said on Thursday that Kosolowsky died of a gunshot wound. They said his injuries were “not related to police interaction.”
A second explosion in the parkade happened less than two hours later, while the emergency response team and the explosive disposal unit were investigating at the scene
Heavily armed officers could be seen throughout the night moving in and out of the community centre complex, which houses the county’s council chambers as well as the library and meeting rooms.
RCMP have provided few details about what happened that night. A police spokesperson said Thursday there is no indication the blasts were “related to any group or ideology.”
Police have said investigators were not looking for any other suspects.
I have nothing bad to say about the guy.– Carlie Nicole
Nicole said she can’t believe her friend of five years was responsible for the explosions. She has many questions about what Kosolowsky was doing in the parkade that night.
She said she spent almost every day the summer before hanging out and sitting around the bonfire with Kosolowsky and a tight-knit group of friends.
He liked cars and working out, she said.
“You could tell he had goals,” she said. “He was a really nice kid, he had a good job, he had a really nice car. He had lots of good friends.
“He was a fun person to be around, always positive and happy. I have nothing bad to say about the guy.”
The two friends had grown apart over the past few months. But during that enjoyable summer, Nicole said Kosolowsky seemed happy. He was working as a service technician at a tire shop in Sherwood Park and was living with his parents in their newly renovated house.
She said she saw no warning signs, and asked people to show compassion, instead of vilifying her friend.
“You guys don’t know who he was or who he is. It’s completely out of character. I could never see him doing something like that. Ever, ever.
“He had a good heart.”