Family mourns man credited with trying to calm dispute during after-hours party

Adonai Tekle, 24, died days after he was struck in the head trying to stem an altercation at a restaurant

Joey Chini · CBC News ·

A photo of Adonai Tekle. He died after he tried to stop a brawl at a International Avenue restaurant in Calgary on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025. (Courtesy Daniel Egubat, GoFundMe)

A Calgary family is mourning the loss of 24-year-old Adonai Tekle, who died Thursday from injuries he received while trying to calm a dispute during an after-hours party.

Calgary police said the altercation began between two men at a restaurant in the 2800 block of 17 Avenue S.E. on Monday around 6:20 a.m., but escalated into a large confrontation involving multiple people.

"During the incident, one man, who was attempting to calm the situation, was struck in the head," police said.

Police said two of Tekle's friends then brought him to a home in the northeast community of Marlborough roughly 40 minutes later, where he was later picked up by a family member.

Around 3:30 p.m., Tekle was found unresponsive and was taken to hospital by EMS, investigators say. On Thursday, he died of his injuries.

The Tekle family immigrated to Calgary from Eritrea, and Adonai was Meaza Tekle's eldest son.

She described Adonai as a lovely boy who always stood by her and helped take care of the family. Dan Tekle, Adonai's brother, acted as a translator during a CBC News interview with Meaza Tekle on Saturday.

Dan added that his brother's actions prior to his death speak to his character.

"Adonai was there trying to stop the fight, trying to calm the situation," he said. "He was trying to do the right thing."

Adonai Tekle lived a selfless life, always looking for ways to help others, he added.

"I want people to remember that about him," Dan said, adding that his brother, who was a mechanic, always looked out for him and was "like a dad" to him, making sure Dan knew right from wrong.

Adanech Sahilie, executive director of the Immigrant Outreach Society, told CBC News that Tekle's death is being felt across Calgary's Eritrean community.

"When you experience such sudden loss, it's really heartbreaking," she said.

Meaza Tekle said her son, Adonai, was a lovely boy who always stood by her and helped take care of the family. (Brendan Coulter/CBC)

Danny Egubat, another member of Calgary's Eritrean community, says the community is devastated about Tekle's death, especially because he was trying to bring peace during the incident.

"This is enough. We are tired of losing people," Egubat said. "We passed through a lot of traumas to get here. We came here to [live] a peaceful life."

Police said in a news release Saturday that one man has been charged in connection to the death.

Dawit Desta Yosief, 24, faces one count of manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.