WATCH: Grief counsellors are at a Surrey high school today, helping students deal with the tragic death of one of their classmates. 15-year-old Dario Bartoli was fatally beaten in a park early Saturday morning. Grace Ke reports.
It is expected to be a grim day at a Surrey high school after a teenage boy was assaulted and killed this weekend.
Grief counsellors were at Earl Marriott Secondary School following the death of 15-year-old Dario Bartoli, who died from injuries suffered during what investigators claim may have been a “liquor-fuelled altercation.”
Investigators say Bartoli was with another boy, aged 14, when they were attacked by a group of people, before fleeing to a house in the 15600-block of 18 Ave. around 2:30 a.m.
“What the early investigation to date reveals is that this was a liquor-fuelled altercation,” says S/Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. “What I may mean by that is that there were two individual groups, there was an altercation that ensued, and we believe that these groups had been drinking for some time throughout the previous day.”
Bartoli was rushed to Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, where he died of his injuries around 10:20 a.m.
Originally police said the 14-year-old suffered minor injuries but Pound said in a phone interview Monday that the boy was unharmed.
Investigators are still trying to determine the suspects and motives behind the attack. On Monday, Pound asked anyone with information about Bartoli’s death to come forward.
Surrey RCMP Inspector Bruce Stuart says they’ll be working with IHIT to determine a suspect group. Sources have told Global News that the Bartoli was attacked with a crowbar and it happened in a nearby park – but investigators say they cannot confirm whether weapons were involved.
“There is much rumour and speculation as to what occurred the evening Dario was killed and for that reason we ask individuals who have information to come to police before turning to social media,” says Pound. “We know the scene was dynamic and the incident happened quickly. We have yet to confirm if or what weapons were involved or the size of the suspect group. To classify this as a ‘swarming’ is premature.”
IHIT is asking anyone with information about Bartoli’s death to contact the IHIT tipline at 1-877-551-4448, or if you wish to remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
According to his Facebook page, Bartoli was a student at Earl Marriott Secondary School. In the hours following his death, his friends sent messages of condolence on social media.
-with files from Canadian Press
WATCH: A day after Bartoli’s death, John Daly recaps what information is known