A 21 year old Arnprior man was stabbed to death Wednesday evening in his car along a quiet residential street. Brodie Armstrong, a talented musician, died in the arms of on-lookers, who tried valiantly to save him. The murder happened around 9:30 last evening at the corner of Russell Street North and McGonigal Street in the heart of Arnprior, forty-five minutes west of Ottawa. Eyewitness accounts indicate the stabbing may have occurred inside Armstrong’s vehicle as it drove along Russell St. North. The car believed to belong to the 21-year-old was still, hours later, where he drove it: right into the side of a house.
Cindy Recker was outside at the time. She saw the car come down the road with people yelling inside, the car weaving wildly.
"I couldn't tell what people were saying,” says Recker, “or what was going on but it was enough to make me come out to see what was going on
"The noise from inside the car was so loud; it drew several people along the street outside. They saw the car smash into the side of a house, and then watched in horror as Brodie Armstrong got out of the car, stumbled and collapsed in a pool of blood. They called 911 and ran over to help him, doing CPR and applying pressure to his wounds.
"They worked like heck to try and bring him around,” says nearby resident Doug Yourt.
That's when they noticed a second man approach Armstrong as he lay dying on the road.
"My neighbour two doors down,” says Recker, “who was over there helping told me later that she saw the knife in his hand and that's why she was telling him to go, get away.”
Sergeant Kristine Rae speaks for the Ontario Provincial Police, “We're trying to do a lot of interviews. We have investigators here as well as at the hospital trying to determine what happened and who is responsible for his death.”
Brodie Armstrong was well known and well-liked in Arnprior. He was a talented musician who had played a few weeks earlier at an Arnprior pub called John Street Pub. Owner Nick Xidous knew Armstrong well. “He was a good person, the life of the party. Every time he was here, everyone was happy to see him and he's truly going to be missed.”
When he wasn't playing music, he worked as a glass installer for Brown and MacFarlane Glass
In a statement, his boss, Todd MacFarlane said "We didn't know a lot about his personal life or why anyone would want to hurt him. We feel sad for his family and he will be missed."
The murder has residents, especially in the area near the murder on edge.
"Guess it can happen anywhere,” says neighbour Tammy Groulx, “nowhere is really safe.”
While police have a good description from the many witnesses, they don't anyone in custody or a motive.