Two die in Alberta malls

Boxing Day bargain-hunters in two major Alberta malls will be visiting the sites of two deaths that stunned Christmas shoppers over the weekend.

At West Edmonton Mall, a man was found dead in the Deep Sea Adventure lagoon inside the world-famous mega-mall at about 10:30 a.m. local time Saturday.

Edmonton Police have identified him as Loren Brown, 22, of Edmonton.

An autopsy has been completed, but the medical examiner has yet to release the cause of death. The autopsy report is expected today or tomorrow.

In the TD Square shopping complex in downtown Calgary, a police officer fatally shot a man during an apparent robbery attempt Saturday.

Calgary Police said Arthur George Provençal, 34, of Calgary, died Saturday night in hospital from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Mr. Provençal was shot during the police response to a call about a robbery and hostage-taking at a Shoppers Drug Mart in the mall shortly before 6 p.m.

The relatives of both men have been notified.

Edmonton Police Sergeant Billy Kerr said that while police have classified Mr. Brown's death as "suspicious," they haven't gathered any evidence that would suggest there was foul play.

"There are no witnesses," he said, adding that police will await the autopsy report before drawing any conclusions.

A passing shopper spotted Mr. Brown's body near a replica of the Santa Maria sailing ship in the five-metre deep lagoon.

The lagoon is surrounded by a glass-and-railing barrier more than one metre high.

Adding to the mystery around Mr. Brown's death is word that mall security encountered a man swimming in the lagoon at about 2:20 a.m. Saturday, while a group of onlookers nearby encouraged him.

The man swam away when a security guard ordered him out of the water, and the guard left the scene to answer a high-priority call. When the guard returned, the group was gone.

Police said they have no evidence to determine whether the swimmer was Mr. Brown.

Shoppers at West Edmonton Mall today will likely see little indication of the tragedy, Sgt. Kerr said.

"It's still under investigation, but [the lagoon area]is not considered a crime scene. It's not blocked off or anything," he said.

In the Calgary death, police said the first officer to arrive at the scene of the attempted robbery found a man wielding a large kitchen knife, holding four staff members hostage at the pharmacy at the back of the store and allegedly demanding drugs.

The man held the knife to one male employee, while three other staff members stood nearby.

Police said the man refused the officer's order to drop his weapon. The officer then fired the single fatal shot.

The Calgary Police Service has not released the name of the officer involved in the shooting, pending completion of its initial investigation into the incident.