2 men charged after 18-year-old killed outside Calgary bar

CALGARY – Investigators have charged two people in connection to the death of a young man attacked outside a downtown bar.

A fight broke out around closing time at the bar Vinyl in the 200 block of 10 Ave. S.W. on Saturday night. Bar staff separated the two groups, sending one back inside to calm down, before letting them out the back door.

“In speaking with the victim group, it seemed like they were leaving the area when the other group recognized the victim and his group, and gave chase,” explains S/Sgt. Tom Barrow from Calgary Police.

18-year-old Lukas Strasser-Hird was later found by emergency crews, suffering from critical, life-threatening injuries.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died.

View image in full screen

Police have charged 18-year-old Nathan Paul Gervais with first-degree murder and 19-year-old Franz Emir Cabrera with second-degree murder in connection to the death.

“We have reason to believe in the case of Mr. Gervais that there was some premeditation to his actions,” says Barrow.

Detectives believe others were involved in the deadly beating, and hope anyone with information will come forward.

“We’re still taking statements from people. We’ve had a lot of people come forward that were involved in the situation, and provide us details of their involvement…but we want to be able to assess how many people were specifically involved in the attack.”

An autopsy for Strasser-Hird is planned for Tuesday.

Family and friends are paying their respects to Strasser through a Facebook page set up in his memory.

The Trails West Hockey Association also issued a statement, as Strasser-Hird played with teams from 2003 to 2008. His sister currently plays for a Trails West team.

“Lucas was well loved and a great kid,” the statement reads. “His death is tragic.”