A 20-Year-Old Is In Custody After A 17-Year-Old Was Stabbed & Killed On A BC Bus
"His mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus."
17-year-old Ethan Bespflug was killed on a bus in B.C.
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A 20-year-old man is in custody in connection with the stabbing of a B.C. teenager on a bus in Surrey last week.
In a statement, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team that was brought into the investigation said Kaiden Mintenko from Burnaby has been charged with second-degree murder and is now in custody, following an investigation into the stabbing of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug, which took place on April 11 near King George SkyTrain station.
Mintenko was located by officers and arrested on April 16.
Sergeant Timothy Pierotti from IHIT said while it is unknown what the relationship was between Mintenko and Bespflug, the stabbing was "not a random attack."
In a statement, Surrey RCMP said they had responded to the incident which took place on a bus near the 9900 block of King George Boulevard.
Bespflug was found with "life-threatening injuries" and taken to the hospital, where he died.
Two separate Gofundme fundraisers have been set up by Bespflug's aunts, Andrea Van Der Gracht and Daphni Miller.
"Ethan was a son and a brother who was senselessly murdered when he was supposed to be safe," Van Der Gracht wrote. "Ethan was a young, bright loved boy, unarmed and now his mother will forever be waiting for him to get off that bus."
The fundraisers have currently raised almost $50,000 combined.
Police have urged anyone with information on the incident to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-4448 or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.