Global Courant 2023-04-14 09:32:06
Holly Indridson says her son Ethan Bespflug took a bus to Surrey, BC — southeast of Vancouver — on Tuesday night and that she planned to pick him up and drive him home. She used GPS to track his progress.
She realized something was wrong when she followed Bespflug’s phone to the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, across the Fraser River from Surrey.
“I got in my car and rushed to the hospital to look for him,” Indridson said.
She soon learned that her 17-year-old son, whom she describes as a “perfect boy”, had been fatally stabbed on the bus.
“I was literally out of my body,” an emotional Indridson said Thursday.
“I just wanted my life to end. I think I would have traded mine. I don’t understand why it had to be him. Why him?”
LOOK | Ethan Bespflug’s Family Speaks Out:
Family of teenager fatally stabbed on bus speaks out
Wesley Miller, Kyra Miller, Michael Gallacher and Holly Indridson, the relatives of 17-year-old Ethan Bespflug, say they are distraught over the loss of their “loving” boy.
RCMP has said the stabbing happened just before 9.30pm on Tuesday on a bus in Surrey, not far from the King George SkyTrain station.
Police patrols are stepped up as detectives have identified a suspect, but no arrests have been made.
The fatal stabbing was the second this month on a bus in the city, southeast of Vancouver.
The first victim, whose throat was cut on April 1, is now recovering at home. A man has been charged with terrorist offenses in that case and police have said the attacks are unrelated.
“It just doesn’t make sense”: Mom
According to the family, Bespflug was hardworking, a good student and a loving older brother.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Indridson said of her son’s death.
Stepfather Mike Gallacher says the family, including his four younger siblings, are trying to figure out how to move forward.
“We have to remind them that they had a big brother with a heart of gold,” he said.
They advocate for change. Bespflug’s aunt, Andrea Van Der Gracht, calls for security personnel to board buses.
“As a community we have to be together,” said Van Der Gracht.
“We need to protect each other. Maybe we need more mental health, more community programs for teens and young people.”
Prime Minister David Eby said on Thursday that police have stepped up patrols on buses and trains following Bespflug’s death, calling it every parent’s nightmare.
Public Security Secretary Mike Farnworth is reaching out to transport authorities and police to see if more resources are needed to ensure safety, Eby said.
