SURREY: It was an afternoon, that sent chills across neighbourhood of Tamanawis Secondary school, when the news of stabbing of a young man spread.
Mehakpreet Sethi, an 18-year-old, young man was identified as the victim of the stabbing that occurred in the parking lot of the school around 12 in the noon on November 22. The school on 66 Avenue and 126 street is located in a busy area buzzing with life, it has an elementary school and presence of strong South Asian population that owns houses, shopping plazas near by. It is a strong hub for Seniors and kids to socialize and go for their daily walks.
The stabbing of Sethi came as a shock to parents and the community that had sent their kids to school that day. The Surrey RCMP initially confirmed reports of a stabbing in that area without disclosing the identity of the victim. Once The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the investigation, they worked closely in partnership with the Surrey RCMP, the RCMP Forensic Identification Service and the BC Coroners Service.
IHIT confirmed the identity of the victim as 18-year old Mehakpreet Sethi of Surrey, in an effort to advance their investigation.
Officers arrived within minutes and located Sethi suffering life-threatening injuries. Despite the best efforts of responding officers, the victim sadly succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
The police also took a 17-year old, who was identified as a suspect by witnesses, into custody. The police have not yet revealed identity of the suspect. Also, the police have not yet revealed the motive behind the stabbing. But they have confirmed that it was an isolated incident which was not related to Lower Mainland Gang war.
“At this time, it is believed that the suspect and the victim were known to each other and that this was an isolated incident, not believed to be associated to the Lower Mainland gang conflict,” said Sgt. Timothy Pierotti of IHIT.
IHIT is also asking any witnesses or anyone with any information regarding the homicide, to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. ““We know there were many students in the area around the time this tragedy took place,” Pierotti said. “If you or one of your loved ones has information that could help shed light on why this young man was killed, please contact IHIT immediately.”
Although police have not released many details of Sethi and his family, but his family has stepped up and appeared in interviews on various news channels. The family moved from Dubai to Canada eight years back. They hail from Punjab’s Faridkot district, a Punjabi news channel reported.
Sethi was not a member of the school community, according to a statement released by the acting principal of Tamanawis Secondary School. He had gone there to pick up his younger brother Bhavpreet, who studies in the eighth grade, Sethi’s sister told the news channel.
The stabbing has again raised questions about increasing safety around school areas and offering more support and resources to deal with mental health issues of young population.
The killing comes just after a shooting incident outside the Castlebrooke Secondary School in Brampton last week in which an 18 year-old student was shot at.
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