Zackariah Rathwell and Josh Hunter are being remembered as two “brilliant” young men.
They were both members of a popular local band “Zackariah and the Prophets.”
Rathwell and Hunter are two of the five victims of a stabbing spree in Brentwood, which happened early Tuesday morning.
Matthew de Grood, also a U of C student, faces five counts of first-degree murder related to their deaths.
Jen Severtson lived with Josh Hunter and is struggling to cope with the loss of her friend.
“He’s always been super positive, outgoing and excited to try new things,” she says of Josh.
Severtson was also friends with Rathwell.
“Heart of gold, the happiest, most genuine, talented, brilliant people,” is how she described her friends.
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Roman Tometczak attended classes with Hunter and described him as friendly and charismatic, he had plans to study with Hunter.
“Just so much potential in him,” he says. “Everybody loved him… this is the last thing that should have happened”.
READ MORE: University of Calgary offers support for students traumatized by stabbing
The other three victims have been identified as Lawrence Hong, Jordan Segura and Kaitlin Perras.
According to his Facebook page, Lawrence Hong was an urban studies student at the University of Calgary.
Perras had attended Mount Royal University as a Bachelor of Arts student majoring in English, while Segura had gone to MRU to study a Bachelor of Arts with a major in History.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of these five young adults who had the promise of their whole lives ahead of them,” said MRU president David Docherty. “We share the sorrow of friends and families in this horrific tragedy that has touched us all and shaken the city.”
A gathering will be held at MRU on Thursday from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Leacock Theatre, which will include a moment of silence. Counselling is also being offered to anyone impacted by the event.
Hundreds gathered at the University of Calgary on Tuesday afternoon to share condolences for the five victims.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi attended the gathering and offered a message of hope to the mourners.
“We’ll get through it,” he said. “We’ll get through it together as a community because that’s what we do. “
The University of Calgary has arranged for counselling services on campus for anyone affected by Tuesday’s stabbings. It also sent a letter to students Tuesday afternoon alerting them that students that were affected by the stabbings can defer exams until May or even June
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