Teen charged with second-degree murder in fatal Kelvin stabbing

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This article was published 03/06/2015 (3821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A 17-year-old boy faces a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death Tuesday at Kelvin High School of 17-year-old Brett Bourne.

Bourne, whom police identified this morning as a former student,  and a 16-year-old male student were in a minor fight during the noon hour Tuesday, when the 16-year-old “disengaged,” police said. Investigators believe the fight had to do with personal relationships, but could not provide more details this morning.

Police believe another teen jumped in and stabbed the victim.

The suspect was first questioned as a witness at the scene and then arrested, police said.

Police don’t believe the stabbing was gang- or drug-related. Neither the victim nor the accused had any significant involvement with police, Const. Jason Michalyshen said.

“We’re talking about an incident here obviously involving relationships and some ongoing issues, and clearly an individual, based on the information that we have right now, made a very extreme decision. We’re sorting through what exactly transpired.”

Counsellors working with staff and students

On Tuesday afternoon, several students described hearing a fight break out near the southeast school doors between Bourne and another student and later seeing the victim fall to the ground, badly injured. School staff “played a vital part” in helping with the investigation, Michalyshen said.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Winnipeg School Division sent out a statement on the incident.

“It is with deep sadness that Winnipeg School Division (WSD) informs the community of the loss yesterday of a former Kelvin High School student. Winnipeg Police Services has confirmed Brett Bourne was pronounced deceased Tuesday evening in hospital as the result of injuries suffered during an altercation Tuesday afternoon near the school,” the statement read.

“WSD Clinical Support Services immediately attended Kelvin High School on Tuesday and today to provide support for students and staff. Counsellors will continue to provide services at the schools and in the community as needed.”

The statement also included words from Kelvin principal Jim Brown.

“We have a good school with great students and a terrific staff and it is devastating to our school community to have such a senseless act take place,” said Brown. “I’m very thankful to Winnipeg Police Services, the Tactical Support Team and Winnipeg Fire and Paramedic Services for their response and support.”

‘Shocked and grieving’

Brown said students and staff at Kelvin are “shocked and grieving” but coming together to “support each other as details emerge from the police investigation.”

A Winnipeg police school-resource officer is stationed at Kelvin High School, but Const. Michalyshen said during the media briefing he didn’t know whether the officer was present at the time of the stabbing.

“When we have students having access or being potentially in possession of knives at schools or bringing them onto the property of schools, it’s incredibly concerning,” Michalyshen said. “Why someone would feel the need to carry that type of an item is something we all need to think about and certainly talk to some young people about.”

Police are still interviewing witnesses and are asking anyone with more information to contact investigators at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

Grade 12 exams interrupted

Kelvin is considering how to handle the provincial Grade 12 language arts exams which were already under way when Tuesday’s tragedy occurred.

Worth 30 per cent of the final mark, the language arts exams are process exams that were to be written between Monday and Thursday – students are given topics and questions on which to write, to judge their literacy and comprehension.

“A portion of the English exam was being written on Tuesday and the school is taking a look at the test results and will make a decision about rewrites accordingly. Some students missed school and didn’t hand in assignments and the circumstances there are also being taken into consideration,” said a Winnipeg School Division official.

The province has procedures in place when a student is unable to write all or part of a Grade 12 provincial exam, but they are applied most often when snow days interrupt exams being written in January at the end of the first semester.

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