With the ashes of their son in a box at their side, the parents of a slain Surrey teen made an emotional plea for any witnesses to his murder to come forward.
“Please, we know there are people out there who know who did this, evil, cruel act,” mother Cynthia Allaire-Bell said. “Mothers, look into your hearts and think of your own children, because, you don’t want to go here… the murder of our young must stop.”
On April 24, 19-year-old Devon Allaire Bell and his life-long pal Jack Neilsen were at Frank Hurt Secondary school, near 138 Street and 77 Avenue, having a couple of beers and playing soccer.
The were confronted by six Indo-Canadian males, who fought with them, then stabbed them both.
Allaire-Bell died shortly after, while Nielsen crawled a short distance to call for help. Police have released video from the night and are asking for public assistance in identifying persons of interest in the case.
Speaking to the perpetrators at a press conference Thursday, Cynthia Allaire-Bell said “if you believe you were a man when you did this, be a man and take responsibility for what you did.”
Devon’s father Wayne Bell said it’s time the community stepped up and acted to stop the violence.
“What kind of people have we become that we accept this type of behaviour from people,” Bell said. “Instead of doing something and getting involved, we tell our kids to go in twos and be careful and so on.
“It is up to us to make sure no other families have to go what we are going through,” he said. “I am going to fight to see that they pay for what they have done, every one of them.”
Bell said he’s heard from several people tell him they’re behind him.
“I don’t want you standing behind me, I want you standing next to me, fighting for all these things we know are right,” Bell said. “It is up to us to make sure they are punished to the full extent of the law. For me and my family, it will never be enough, because we will never get Devon back.”
During the first two days of the investigation, police found a substantial amount of evidence at or near the scene which is now being forensically tested, said Corp. Dale Carr, with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
The video released depicts five males leaving the park, some dressed in darker clothing and one in a white track suit and another in a grey track suit. The latter two, police say, are very distinctive. Police are urging anyone who may be able to identify them to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
kdiakiw@surreyleader.com
