Seven teenagers – six boys and a girl – have been charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student in Edmonton.
Karanvir Sahota, a 10th grader at McNally High School, was waiting for a bus on the afternoon of April 8 when he was attacked.
Sahotha and the seven defendants knew each other, Edmonton police said on Friday.
Police said the attack was believed to be an escalation of violence between two rival groups, but there was no evidence of gang involvement.
Sahota died at the hospital on April 15. An autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.
“Every loss of life is tragic,” Supt. This was stated by Shane Perka from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Edmonton Police Department at a press conference on Friday.
“The loss of a young man in this way is almost unheard of in our city. To say that it was difficult is an understatement.”
Perka said Sahota received multiple stab wounds in the attack.
The accused teenagers include six boys – two 14-year-olds, two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds – and a 17-year-old girl. The girl is also accused of trying to obstruct.
All charges were raised to second-degree murder after the victim died and the autopsy was completed, Perka said.
Not gang-related: police
Police say six young men were initially charged with attempted murder in connection with the Sahota attack. They were arrested for several days a week after the incident. An order has been issued for the seventh youth.
The investigation was incredibly complex, Perka said, but the influx of information provided by the public helped police identify all seven suspects.
“There’s nothing to suggest it’s a gang,” Perka said. “These were just young people from high school who had a history of disagreement with each other.”
Police do not foresee new charges, Perka said.
Police could not say for sure which of the accused teenagers would be detained, but each will go through bail.
The ban on publication imposed on Friday afternoon protected the names of seven defendants and the victim, whose name had already been made public with the permission of his family.
CBC News successfully challenged the ban on publication, as a result of which the judge allowed the publication of Sahota’s name.
The seven defendants cannot be named to protect their identities as minors.
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