18-year-old Halifax Mooseheads prospect facing possible life in prison due to fatal crime
18-year-old hockey player Tyler Totten has been arrested for being involved in the death of 41-year-old man Andre Bourgeois in an incident last month.
The court record shows that Andre Bourgeois died of his injuries on September 27, but the brutal attack occurred on September 22. The incident finally triggered major legal and community responses, with active police investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death.
The attack was carried out in the early morning hours of September 22 outside the Tannery downtown Fredericton hot spot. This was the street lined with bars on either side, between King and Queen streets; that scene became what may be described as a violent altercation. The Fredericton police later confirmed that indeed there was an attack involving two men, with one of them sustaining life-threatening injuries.
In relation to Bourgeois' death, 18-year-old Tyler Totten was charged with manslaughter. He is a player with the Fredericton Red Wings Junior A hockey team. He was equally part of the Halifax Mooseheads for some exhibition games in 2023. This incident brought questions into this local community, especially because Totten was an athlete with a public profile.
Also, three others, two 17-year-olds, and one aged 16 were charged with manslaughter. Their identities are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and it is not yet known how they relate to the Red Wings organization. As the identities of the suspects came to light, shock turned into outrage that youths had been involved in such a violent incident.
While the Maritime Junior Hockey League demonstrated its complete cooperation with Fredericton police, one of its spokespersons took pains to point out that such a sad occurrence did not in any way reflect the sport of hockey. Thus far, Red Wings General Manager Kyle McAllister will not comment on these events. While all parties at present chime in on the case, the hockey community and public at large stay so very vested in its result.
