Members of the family of the teenager from Edmonton, who died after an attack outside his high school, are calling for changes in the way young people are tried in Canada in law to help bring justice to the victims.
Karanvir Sahota was attacked in front of McNally High School on April 8 and died of his injuries a week later.
Seven young men were initially charged with attempted murder, but on Friday the Edmonton Police Department announced charges of second-degree murder against a 17-year-old woman, two 16-year-old men, two 15-year-old men and two 14-year-old men.
The 17-year-old woman has also been charged with obstruction.
Shivlin Sidhu and Monica Bins, two of his cousins, said the Sahota family was relieved and pleased that seven young men had been charged with second-degree murder.
“These seven people killed our little cousin,” Sidhu said.
“This is the first step that these charges have (been) raised,” she added. “We know we have a long way to go.”
Beans said the family would like to see the accused youths be tried as adults and that the public deserves to know the identities of those involved in the attack.
“Just because they were 16 doesn’t justify their behavior,” Beans said. “They were adults at the time, making conscious decisions.”
“These killers should be punished as adults,” Sidhu said. “If they are not, it will be a grave injustice to Karan. It will be a grave injustice to Karan if their identities continue to be protected by the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act.
“It is not enough to just follow archaic precedent and legislation if that precedent and legislation does not do justice to our victims,” she added. “If the case of Karanvir is to impose new laws that serve him adequately to justice, then so be it.
“These killers must be held accountable for their actions, and that is in the best interests of society.”
Asked how Sahota’s parents were doing, Sidhu said they were extremely upset and struggling to figure out what had happened.
“They can’t stand it,” Sidhu said. “They are in complete shock for their body and emotional state. They are not doing well. We are trying to help them as a family, to be strong and to support them.”
Last weekend, Bins organized GoFundMe to help support Sahota’s parents and sister as they grieve and heal. The original goal was to raise $ 100,000. He has raised more than $ 233,000 at the time of publication.
“Every penny of it will go to this family and their living expenses,” Beans said. “The outpouring of support is beyond our wildest imagination. It gives us strength and power to continue this struggle.”
With files from Jessica Robb of CTV News from Edmonton
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