Luka Gordic, 19, of Burnaby, B.C., shown in an undated, family handout photo, died after being stabbed early Sunday morning, May 17, 2015.Handout/The Canadian Press
Three teenaged boys have been charged with manslaughter following the stabbing death of a 19-year-old man in Whistler, B.C.
Luka Gordic was pronounced dead at a local clinic shortly after the violence erupted around midnight on Sunday.
Sergeant Stephanie Ashton of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Unit said the three 17-year-olds appeared in court on Tuesday.
Sgt. Ashton said one of the teens has a criminal record and the others were not previously known to police.
She said an 18-year-old man is also facing unspecified charges and that he is not in custody yet.
"We're not able to release the 18-year-old's name because there's a ban on the publication of the original hearings, but also because identifying him identifies the other youths that he was with," Sgt. Ashton said.
"They all knew each other from the Lower Mainland."
The stabbing is believed to have involved an altercation between two groups of people who were spending the long weekend in the resort community.
Police are urging witnesses who have not yet spoken with investigators to come forward.
"We're hoping parents are talking with their kids about providing information if they know something," Sgt. Ashton said.
Mr. Gordic's brother, Milos Gordic, said shortly after hearing of his brother's death that the stabbing had nothing to do with gangs.
"He was an innocent little man," he said in an earlier interview.
Milos Gordic said his brother had just recently celebrated his 19th birthday, had graduated from Burnaby Central Secondary School a year ago and was studying to become a plumber.
Luka Gordic was the youngest of four children and lived at home with his parents.