The Vancouver Police Department says a suspect has turned himself in after the stabbing death of a 15-year-old in Robson Square over the weekend.
Police believe the suspect stabbed the victim, a Surrey resident, just before midnight Saturday, near the Vancouver Law Courts at Smithe Street and Hornby Street.
A passerby reportedly found the boy on Hornby Street and called 911.
A significant police presence, including multiple police vehicles, remained in the area for much of Sunday morning.
In an update Tuesday, the VPD says a 17-year-old from Surrey was arrested late Monday night and remains in custody after turning himself in to an officer on a Vancouver street.
Police say the BC Prosecution Service has not yet charged the teenager, and the investigation is ongoing.
On Monday, Sgt. Steve Addison revealed that investigators believe the victim and his attacker had a violent altercation before the stabbing.
Addison could not say if the alleged suspect and the victim knew each other before the incident.
“Our investigation will be to determine what relationship, if any, these two people had, whether they knew each other,” he told CityNews in an interview.
He also says that police do not have any information on the background of the alleged suspect at this moment.
He urges potential witnesses to come forward, even if they think they think they did not see anything.
“Just because we’ve made an arrest doesn’t mean the investigation stops,” Addison emphasized.
“We would still like to speak to anybody who has any information, whether they were involved in the incident or were an eyewitness to the incident.
“It was following the Celebration of Light, there were a number of people who were leaving the downtown core. So we believe there were a lot of people in the area, and likely a lot of people who were driving around as well. So there may be people who may have seen something, didn’t necessarily know what they saw, and don’t quite realize that they’re witnesses,” said Addison.
“It’s a very serious investigation involving the homicide of a 15-year-old boy,” he added.
“We need everybody who has information, no matter how big or how small, to come forward and speak to us.”
Anyone with information to share is asked to call the Vancouver Police Homicide tip line at 604-717-2500.
source: CityNews
