Candlelight vigil held for 15-year-old Kareem Deerr, fatally stabbed at Scarborough Centre bus bay
Family and friends gathered outside Scarborough Town Centre in Toronto to remember 15-year-old Kareem Deerr one night after the teen was fatally stabbed at a busy bus bay there on Friday night.
The teen was stabbed in the upper torso at the Scarborough Centre station and died in hospital, according to Toronto paramedics.
Const. Caroline de Kloet, spokeswoman for Toronto police, said officers were called to the Scarborough RT station near McCowan and Ellesmere roads at about 9:20 p.m. They found a 15-year-old suffering from a stab wound.
She said the boy was rushed to a trauma centre, where he succumbed to his injuries. His sister, Julianna Murdock Gordon, later identified him.
At Saturday's vigil, friends and family were grief-stricken.
"We don't even know what to do, we can't even step into his room," relative Tatiana Kitson said. "He's the baby of the family. We're going to miss him so much."
Fight in the station
Police said two groups of young men crossed paths in the station and a fight broke out before the stabbing.
An autopsy was scheduled to be performed on the boy's body on Saturday.
Evert Steenge, deputy commander of Toronto Paramedic Services, said paramedics found the victim in a bus bay. He said the teen had life-threatening injuries.
"He was alive when we got him there," he said.
Early Saturday, homicide detectives were at the station, which is part of Line 3.
The death is the 52nd homicide in Toronto this year, and a GoFundMe fundraising campaign was launched Saturday to help pay for Kareem's funeral.
Appeal for witnesses
Det. Jeff Tavares told CBC News that there were around 50 to 100 people at the station and that Toronto police are looking for witnesses to come forward.
"We have spoken to a few witnesses, and we are making appeals for more witnesses," Tavares said. "We know that there were a lot more people out there, so please call us. Every little piece of information will assist us in our investigation."
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
