A 20-year-old University of Ottawa (U of O) student died in hospital Aug. 25 after a house party fight in Yellowknife, NWT the previous night, according to RCMP.
Emerson Curran, a U of O philosophy student heading into his third year, and the son of Ottawa Business Journal publisher Michael Curran, was injured during the fight and died the next morning.
RCMP charged Yellowknife resident Roman Bourque, 23, with manslaughter Aug. 29 in connection to the incident after interviewing more than 100 witnesses, it stated in a press release.
Curran had been in Yellowknife working a summer job at Air Tindi, a small northern airline service, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
“This is a loss of unimaginable proportions. Emerson was such as thoughtful, intelligent and loving son, brother and friend,” Curran’s father Michael said in a statement.
The family chose to donate Curran’s organs, a decision they said they feel he would have wanted.
“Many months ago, in a conversation with his mother, Emerson expressed his philosophy on life and also talked about organ donation. In our immense struggle to make sense of this tragedy, we ask that other sons, daughters and families have a talk about organ donation. We believe that Emerson’s end will help sustain the future of many others. His gift is giving us a glimmer of goodness and hope,” the statement read.
