The Surrey teen who was fatally stabbed on a bus in Whalley on Tuesday night reportedly was riding home from a friend91裸聊视频檚 house and had texted his mom that he was being threatened by 91裸聊视频渟ome kids91裸聊视频� and was scared.

91裸聊视频淓than was a young, bright loved boy, unarmed and now his mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus,91裸聊视频� a GoFundMe page set up by his aunt Andrea Van Der Gracht reads, seeking help to cover the teen91裸聊视频檚 funeral costs.

Ethan Bespflug, 17, died in hospital from his injuries after being stabbed on a bus in the 9900-block of King George Boulevard at 9:28 p.m. on April 11. Police have not yet identified a suspect.

91裸聊视频淗e texted his mom and said there91裸聊视频檚 some kids threatening me and I91裸聊视频檓 scared, and that was the last text that he got out,91裸聊视频� his aunt, Andrea Van Der Gracht, told Global News. 91裸聊视频淗e was a good kid. He had four younger sisters and brothers. He worked, he went to school, he got good grades, he wasn91裸聊视频檛 in trouble, he wasn91裸聊视频檛 a bad kid. The fact that he ended up in this situation is horrible. And it could be any of our kids now. You know, sitting on a bus, just going to meet your mom, shouldn91裸聊视频檛 mean you91裸聊视频檙e going to lose your life.91裸聊视频�

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken conduct of the case. Bespflug is Surrey91裸聊视频檚 fifth homicide victim so far this year and was the second stabbing on a bus in Surrey this month. The first victim survived.

91裸聊视频淚 think the story out of Surrey is every parent91裸聊视频檚 worst nightmare,91裸聊视频� Premier David Eby said of the fatal stabbing. 91裸聊视频淭ransit needs to be safe and accessible for kids, for seniors, for everybody. I understand that the Surrey RCMP and the Transit Police increased patrols and presence on Surrey Transit. I91裸聊视频檝e asked the minister for public safety to reach out to transit authorities and to police authorities to see if there is any other tools or resources that they need to ensure safety on our transit system for everybody.

91裸聊视频淭his is an absolutely horrific incident,91裸聊视频� Eby noted.

91裸聊视频淭his is a profoundly concerning incident.91裸聊视频�

Tuesday91裸聊视频檚 stabbing happened on a Route 503 bus eastbound from King George Station. Cpl. Vanessa Munn, of the Surrey RCMP, said police have no reason to suspect Tuesday91裸聊视频檚 stabbing was 91裸聊视频渋n any way connected91裸聊视频� to a man91裸聊视频檚 throat being slashed 91裸聊视频� also on a Route 503 91裸聊视频� bus at Fraser Highway and 148 Street on April 1. That earlier stabbing resulted in the suspect, Abdul Aziz Kawam, being charged with four terrorism-related offences, with Kawam accused of committing the crime on behalf of the Islamic State otherwise known as ISIS.

So far two GoFundMe campaigns been been set up for Bespflug seeking donations to help with his funeral expenses.

91裸聊视频淓than just turned 17 years old he had so much life ahead of him, a good kid, a kind kid a loving brother, son, grandson, uncle, friend, he always helped with his siblings always told his family how much he loves us, he would give the shirt off his back to anyone that needed it,91裸聊视频� a set up by another aunt, Daphni Miller, reads. So far 79 donors have contributed $5,218 toward a 91裸聊视频�$10,000 goal.

A , set up by Van Der Gracht seeking donations to 91裸聊视频渉elp lay Ethan to rest,91裸聊视频� has so far received $6,146 from 81 donors toward a $7,500 goal.

91裸聊视频淚n a time when we are constantly being bombarded by sadness and death everywhere,91裸聊视频� her campaign page reads, 91裸聊视频渨e have lost one of our own. Ethan was a son and a brother who was senselessly murdered when he was supposed to be safe. Our fears of sending our children out into the world are becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. We are not supposed to fear our children going to school, we are not supposed to fear our children going home from school. Our children are dying, and gun violence and threats of violence are everywhere. In times like this families and communities need to come together to help everyone. Ethan did not deserve this. He woke up and went to school in the morning and never came back.

91裸聊视频淧lease donate to help lay Ethan to rest. In a time of tragedy help us come together as a community to help a family in need. Help them know that there is still good in the world. There will be peace again, and love and peace will prevail. Ethan was a young, bright loved boy, unarmed and now his mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus.91裸聊视频�

Meantime, police ask anyone with information about Tuesday91裸聊视频檚 fatal stabbing to call investigators on the IHIT information line 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Const. Amanda Steed, spokeswoman for Metro Vancouver Transit Police, said uniformed officers assigned several units have been pulled from their regular duties have been assigned to buses and SkyTrain in Surrey. 91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e trying to saturate the system with a visible presence. We91裸聊视频檝e also taken our detectives who work in a crime-suppression team 91裸聊视频� they91裸聊视频檙e in a plainclothes capacity so you might not see them but they are there 91裸聊视频� we91裸聊视频檝e taken them from their day-to-day duties and put them in hot spots where we91裸聊视频檝e identified where people aren91裸聊视频檛 feeling safe,91裸聊视频� she told the Now-Leader.

As for both stabbings happening on a Route 503 bus, Steed said she doesn91裸聊视频檛 know if that91裸聊视频檚 a coincidence. 91裸聊视频淎ll of the stabbings that have occurred and slashings that have occurred they91裸聊视频檙e not connected in any way, there91裸聊视频檚 no evidence to suggest that they91裸聊视频檙e connected. But does that say that maybe the 503 is a route that we might need to look at a little but closer and perhaps improve our presence on that route? Absolutely.91裸聊视频�

On Wednesday night, she said, police officers were on the 503 91裸聊视频渢o help address that.91裸聊视频�

What91裸聊视频檚 fueling recent violence is a question for the age.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 understand what91裸聊视频檚 happening, this is so abnormal, this is not normal, and we looked at other provinces who are having issues like this, with violence and weapons, and we were always lucky that that wasn91裸聊视频檛 happening to us but now for some reason in the last couple of weeks the world has just lost it,91裸聊视频� Steed said.

Bigger, more complex issues are at play, she suggests, 91裸聊视频渘ot necessarily just a policing issue, where this violence is coming from.

91裸聊视频淲e have to ask ourselves, what has brought these people to this spot? Why are they in this position, why are they exhibiting more violence and using more weapons that they have in the past? And I think it has a lot to do with mental health, and the drug crisis, and social housing crisis. I also think COVID also had a huge impact, we were isolated for so long. People are struggling right now, people who are already on the edge of a mental health break, they91裸聊视频檝e completely gone over the edge, and even people who didn91裸聊视频檛 suffer from any type of mental health before, they91裸聊视频檙e struggling.

91裸聊视频淧eople are really on edge.91裸聊视频�

As for the suspect in Bespflug91裸聊视频檚 case, Steed noted, the buses are equipped with 91裸聊视频渞eally great CCTV, and video cameras in the stations as well, so I don91裸聊视频檛 think it will be long before IHIT identifies a suspect in that case but at this moment he has not been arrested.91裸聊视频�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
Like us on Follow us on   and follow Tom on