[canucker]

My daughter wasn't there, we were in Victoria when we heard (read my blog), but they were on the beach hanging out with many other groups of people and kids. Looks like they just wanted to get into a deadly fight for no reason.

[canucker]

The RCMP are being very tight lipped about who they are and what age or race they are. I just can't believe they are being released tomorrow, I hope something changes and they do hold them and charge them with the crimes.

[canucker]

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/bc/story.html?id=959263c2-a12d-4662-a38d-4c70a40e87c6

Updated story of the incident:

$1:

Innocent remark leads to death
Teenaged victim stabbed at Cultus Lake wanted to be an RCMP officer
Doug Ward and Darah Hansen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Monday, May 19, 2008


Cody Gottschalk’s innocent remark that he wanted to join the RCMP someday may have triggered a brawl in which he was stabbed to death Saturday at Cultus Lake Park.

The 19-year-old Richmond man’s comment came after a group of young adults were asked by two park patrollers to leave a Cultus Lake beach area at about 11 p.m., park manager Scott Coulson said Monday.

Coulson said park staff later told him Gottschalk had agreed they should move, and then told the patrollers about his ambition to become a RCMP officer.

This prompted another young man to “get in his face and say, ‘Oh, really and would you arrest me?’ ” said Coulson.

“The first gentleman said, ‘I would arrest you if you did something wrong,’ and then it started.”

Initially, the patrollers thought only fists were being used, but it quickly became evident that a knife had been wielded when they saw Gottschalk covered in blood, said Coulson.

“It was pretty sad.”

The Facebook page, “In memory of Cody Gottschalk” had gathered more than 100 members by Monday evening.

The Cultus Lake clash also left two males with stabbing injuries, including a 20-year-old who was taken to hospital with several serious but non-life-threatening wounds.

The third victim was a park employee who tried to break up the fight.

He suffered minor injuries, and was treated at hospital and released.

Police investigators, using a police dog, tracked three suspects and arrested them shortly after the fatal incident. The three males are in custody at the Chilliwack RCMP office, where they will remain pending charges.

Park manager Coulson said the Victoria Day weekend is usually the first busy weekend of the season at Cultus Lake.

“People often blow off steam but it’s usually low-key. Some people might get rowdy, but it’s usually contained.

“But this was something extraordinary. It’s something that has never happened here before.”

....

[canucker]

deleted post

[twister]

So sorry to hear about the loss Canucker... and hopefully the other get better quickly. Glad to hear your daughter wasn't there as well.

I just hope these idiots who perpetrated the attack are above that lame ass Young offenders act we have in this country. I hope that kid get stuck behind bars for a LONG time...

[Zipperfish]

Brutal. Your poor daughter. It's completely senseless--sounds like that the group of psychos was a train wreck looking for somewhere to happen.

[canucker]

I just came back from the hospital to pick up my daughter who was there all night, she hasn't even been home yet since we left for Victoria on Friday evening.

The other stabbing victim is improving day by day. He's not needing the morphine as often but sometimes he's in so much pain he needs it. He's up and walking a bit, slowly, but he can make it to the bathroom (cath is out). When I saw him he seemed to being doing fine emotionally. We were all joking about a big balloon my daughter picked for him of a huge frog's head, apparently he woke up from a deep sleep still induced with morphine, saw the balloon right above him, and thought it was a person with a weird green frog head... and was like "What the heck???!!"

I finally got my daughter home for some sleep, but she's going to go back this evening, but not sure for how long. I want her to get more than just a few hours here and there, but she's doing okay. I think talking about it has been very helpful for her and we dropped by her school on the way home this morning to update her counselor and law teacher who knew all the victims from previous years. Apparently every May long weekend, her law teacher warns the class about how the accident rate and other mostly alcohol involved incidents that happen as a warning to be careful, and she does this every year. Ironic, but so true. Apparently her boyfriend and Cody received the same warning a couple of years ago while in her class as well. Her many friends have also been very supportive, so she's been surrounded by love and comfort.

[Hyack]

$1:

Three men have been charged in connection with a double stabbing and death that occurred during a fight at a family campground in Cultus Lake, B.C., on Saturday night.

The victim has been identified as Cody Gottschalk, 19, of Richmond.

Charges against Adam Derek Phillips, 18, of Chilliwack include one count of second-degree murder and two counts of assault with a weapon.

Justin Wayne Lennard, 19, of Chilliwack has been charged with one count of second-degree murder.

Nathan John Simmons, 22, of Chilliwack has been charged with aggravated assault and one count of assault causing bodily harm.

Police said the victim and the accused were not known to each other.

Three people were stabbed during a fight between two groups of men at the campground. The other two victims suffered non life-threatening injuries.

The three accused were to appear in Chilliwack provincial court Tuesday.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columb ... bbing.html

[canucker]

Yes, you would think, but maybe they can add it on later. I wonder if it's because the other stabbing victim doesn't remember much, all he remembers is that they were white and around the same age as him and his friends.

At least they are charged and have to be remanded. Too bad it's the 18 year old that seems to be the one with the more serious charges. Are you considered an adult in court at 18?

Thanks for posting Hyack, I've been trying to catch up on some sleep and there was no news up until then.

My daughter is back off to the hospital with friends again. She gets really anxious when she's away from him, even knowing he's getting better. At least she got a little sleep in and some better food.

Other similar articles:

http://bc.rcmp.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=50&contentId=4712&showDetachmentNames=true&languageId=1

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=1b25a684-0d64-477f-b053-d2b435b13847

$1:

Richmond’s Cody Gottschalk died from stab wounds after an altercation with the three men at the Cultus Lake beach area on Saturday around 11 p.m. Two other men, including a park employee who tried to break up the fight, ended up in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening stab wounds.

RCMP said a fourth victim was also assaulted in the incident but was not stabbed.

The fourth victim was also their friend and I think I mentioned it earlier but he was just beat up and chocked.

The second victim's stab wounds were hardly non-life-threatening when he arrived by helicopter. They missed an artery a millimeter and he needed a blood transfusion because his BP dropped suddenly and very dangerously low. I guess they say that now because he will survive. It just seems so played down to what I've witnessed. I heard he also was trying to tell the park employee not to worry about him after being stabbed, and to go help his friends.

I learned today from my daughter that the other victim, her boyfriend, received 4 stab wounds to the back three on one side and one on the other (she saw them) and both kidneys were hit. But they are healing well and don't look infected. For some reason they don't want to stitch them up and want them to heal on their own, more unlikely to get infected apparently.

[Regina]

18 is an adult. For something like this they may have been charged as adult even though they was only 17 anyway.

[canucker]

$1:

Richmond man knifed in Cultus Lake brawl was softspoken, funny: Friends
Lora Grindlay, The Province
Published: Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Cody Gottschalk was a soft-spoken, funny and ambitious young man whose death in a fatal knife fight at a Cultus Lake campground has stunned those who knew and loved him.

The 19-year-old Richmond man never carried a weapon, did not get in fights and lived for summers when he could escape to Cultus Lake for swimming, mini-golf and good times with his friends.

Gottschalk was fatally stabbed Saturday night at the Sunnyside Campground when he and two friends somehow raised the ire of another group of young men.

There were words exchanged, a push, an invitation to fight and within minutes Gottschalk, an only child, was dead and a friend was clinging to life after being stabbed twice in the kidneys.

Another friend was cut, had a bottle smashed over his head from behind and was choked until he blacked out.

"He was a nice guy. I just couldn't see that happening to him," said Ryan Saretsky, 19, Gottschalk's friend since kindergarten.

"I don't know what to think. It hasn't really sunk in yet."

Saretsky said the group that attacked Gottschalk and his two friends were "looking for a fight" and were not staying at the campground.

"There were three of them and one guy wanted to fight. He took off his shirt and said, 'Let's fight,'" he said.

Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said charges were laid yesterday against three Chilliwack men not known to Gottschalk or his friends.

Adam Derek Phillips, 18, is charged with second-degree murder, two counts of assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Justin Wayne Lennard, 19, is charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm.

Nathan John Simmons, 22, is charged with aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm.

Cpl. Carr called the fight "a violent altercation that clearly didn't need to escalate to a murder."

"I can't think of anything that could be so grievous that would cause a person to have to result in the level of violence that occurred this weekend."

Gottschalk's cousin, Tyler Gottschalk, 21, said the dead man's mom, Ramona, is "absolutely distraught."

Gottschalk lived with his mom.

"Watching her deal with it is really bad," Tyler said.

His cousin "was a lover not a fighter, that's for sure" he said. Cody graduated from Robert A. McMath Secondary in Steveston last year and had his sights set on a criminology degree and joining the RCMP.

He planned on marrying and starting a family with his girlfriend, whom he's known since they were two years old.

No one knows what sparked the fight but Tyler said it may have been when his cousin mentioned to the park ranger that he hoped to become a police officer.

Saretsky said the initial skirmish was cooling down when one of Gottschalk's friends was punched in the face. The violent brawl followed and a park ranger who intervened was cut on the arm.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/ ... f97298297d

(Check out some of the comments too)

Update:

The second stabbing victim is doing better physically but is very depressed about Cody and is crying a lot and/or expressing anger and guilt, which we all expected but it's still difficult to observe.

Yesterday afternoon he said he didn't deserve the attention (friends and family visiting and the gifts) that Cody should get all the attention and gifts. That was very hard on my daughter, and I got her to talk to a Social Worker right away.

I saw him today and he seemed extremely sad. He had just be interviewed by police detectives and had another police woman take photos of all his wounds. He had read an article in the paper today (the one above) but had to cover Cody's face while reading it. He broke down afterwards.

They plan to release him today and his parents are scrambling to get the nurses in Richmond to come to the house twice a day to change and clean his wounds and bandages. Apparently the company involved feel it could be "a dangerous situation" (like gangs are involved or something) but the RCMP are trying to tell them there is nothing dangerous about it. Otherwise his parents would have to trek him out to a clinic twice a day for the cleaning and changing. Ridiculous.