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Police are investigating seven suspects in the murder of 16-year-old Karanvir Sahota, Edmonton police chief said on Thursday

Memorial grew up near McNally High School in Edmonton after student Karanvir Sahota, 16, died in hospital on Friday, April 15, 2022. Photo: Larry Wong / Postmedia Network

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Police are investigating seven suspects in the murder of 16-year-old Karanvir Sahota, the Edmonton police chief said on Thursday.

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Sahota was taken to hospital earlier this month after a reported attack in front of McNally High School, and he died of his injuries a week later. An autopsy this week confirmed his death as a homicide, finding that he had died from a stab wound to the chest.

Edmonton Police Chief Dale McPhee told the Edmonton Police Department that seven young men were initially charged with attempted murder.

“They are currently being reviewed by prosecutors after the person dies to see if these charges will be increased,” McPhee said.

EPS has not provided more details about the suspects yet, but if anyone is under 18, their names will not be released under the provisions of the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act.

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According to a subsequent statement from EPS, the investigation strategies and timing of Sahot’s death meant that earlier allegations had to be dropped from the Crown in order to improve. Once the final charges against all suspects have been filed, more details will be made public.

McPhee added that the investigation was complicated.

The head of the Edmonton Police Union cited the incident as evidence of the need for police officers to return to public schools.

Sahota was attacked in front of McNally. Family members who created a GoFundMe page for Sahota’s parents said he was waiting at a bus stop.

Uniformed police officers were deployed as school resource officers (SROs) until the program was suspended three years ago. Edmonton Public School is expected to discuss a review of the program this fall.

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Critics say the presence of uniformed officers creates a pipeline from school to prison where poor or racist children are disciplined, directing them from schools to juvenile correctional and criminal justice systems. Researchers who recently analyzed data on the school resources program found that school officials have filed more than 2,000 criminal charges in a decade.

On Thursday, McPhee told reporters he hoped the SRO program would return to public schools in the fall.

“We certainly believe that it is extremely valuable to be in schools, to build relationships with young people to help them stay on track,” he said.

The SRO program remains active in Catholic schools, but the Edmonton Catholic School District is also reviewing the program.

McFee said there were “very few” allegations made as a result of the SRO program.

“If we can play our part in getting children to take this path, to be young people on this path, to be members and to lead a healthy lifestyle, I think it’s absolutely important that we do.”

“With files from Matthew Black.”

masmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @meksmith

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