The Surrey teen who was fatally stabbed on a bus in Whalley on Tuesday night reportedly was riding home from a friend乌鸦传媒檚 house and had texted his mom that he was being threatened by 乌鸦传媒渟ome kids乌鸦传媒� and was scared.
乌鸦传媒淓than was a young, bright loved boy, unarmed and now his mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus,乌鸦传媒� a GoFundMe page set up by his aunt Andrea Van Der Gracht reads, seeking help to cover the teen乌鸦传媒檚 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.
乌鸦传媒淗e texted his mom and said there乌鸦传媒檚 some kids threatening me and I乌鸦传媒檓 scared, and that was the last text that he got out,乌鸦传媒� his aunt, Andrea Van Der Gracht, told Global News. 乌鸦传媒淗e was a good kid. He had four younger sisters and brothers. He worked, he went to school, he got good grades, he wasn乌鸦传媒檛 in trouble, he wasn乌鸦传媒檛 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, shouldn乌鸦传媒檛 mean you乌鸦传媒檙e going to lose your life.乌鸦传媒�
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has taken conduct of the case. Bespflug is Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 fifth homicide victim so far this year and was the second stabbing on a bus in Surrey this month. The first victim survived.
乌鸦传媒淚 think the story out of Surrey is every parent乌鸦传媒檚 worst nightmare,乌鸦传媒� Premier David Eby said of the fatal stabbing. 乌鸦传媒淭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. I乌鸦传媒檝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.
乌鸦传媒淭his is an absolutely horrific incident,乌鸦传媒� Eby noted.
乌鸦传媒淭his is a profoundly concerning incident.乌鸦传媒�
Tuesday乌鸦传媒檚 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 Tuesday乌鸦传媒檚 stabbing was 乌鸦传媒渋n any way connected乌鸦传媒� to a man乌鸦传媒檚 throat being slashed 乌鸦传媒� also on a Route 503 乌鸦传媒� 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.
乌鸦传媒淓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,乌鸦传媒� a set up by another aunt, Daphni Miller, reads. So far 79 donors have contributed $5,218 toward a 乌鸦传媒�$10,000 goal.
A , set up by Van Der Gracht seeking donations to 乌鸦传媒渉elp lay Ethan to rest,乌鸦传媒� has so far received $6,146 from 81 donors toward a $7,500 goal.
乌鸦传媒淚n a time when we are constantly being bombarded by sadness and death everywhere,乌鸦传媒� her campaign page reads, 乌鸦传媒渨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.
乌鸦传媒淧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.乌鸦传媒�
Meantime, police ask anyone with information about Tuesday乌鸦传媒檚 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. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e trying to saturate the system with a visible presence. We乌鸦传媒檝e also taken our detectives who work in a crime-suppression team 乌鸦传媒� they乌鸦传媒檙e in a plainclothes capacity so you might not see them but they are there 乌鸦传媒� we乌鸦传媒檝e taken them from their day-to-day duties and put them in hot spots where we乌鸦传媒檝e identified where people aren乌鸦传媒檛 feeling safe,乌鸦传媒� she told the Now-Leader.
As for both stabbings happening on a Route 503 bus, Steed said she doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know if that乌鸦传媒檚 a coincidence. 乌鸦传媒淎ll of the stabbings that have occurred and slashings that have occurred they乌鸦传媒檙e not connected in any way, there乌鸦传媒檚 no evidence to suggest that they乌鸦传媒檙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.乌鸦传媒�
On Wednesday night, she said, police officers were on the 503 乌鸦传媒渢o help address that.乌鸦传媒�
What乌鸦传媒檚 fueling recent violence is a question for the age.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 understand what乌鸦传媒檚 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 wasn乌鸦传媒檛 happening to us but now for some reason in the last couple of weeks the world has just lost it,乌鸦传媒� Steed said.
Bigger, more complex issues are at play, she suggests, 乌鸦传媒渘ot necessarily just a policing issue, where this violence is coming from.
乌鸦传媒淲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, they乌鸦传媒檝e completely gone over the edge, and even people who didn乌鸦传媒檛 suffer from any type of mental health before, they乌鸦传媒檙e struggling.
乌鸦传媒淧eople are really on edge.乌鸦传媒�
As for the suspect in Bespflug乌鸦传媒檚 case, Steed noted, the buses are equipped with 乌鸦传媒渞eally great CCTV, and video cameras in the stations as well, so I don乌鸦传媒檛 think it will be long before IHIT identifies a suspect in that case but at this moment he has not been arrested.乌鸦传媒�
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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