Suspect charged in fatal stabbing in Surrey high school parking lot

Police are set to announce that a charge has been laid in a case where an 18-year-old was stabbed to death in the parking lot of a Surrey high school almost exactly one year ago.

Police are set to announce that a charge has been laid in a case where an 18-year-old was stabbed to death in the parking lot of a Surrey high school almost exactly one year ago.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team will provide an update Tuesday afternoon. An advisory announcing a news conference indicated a charge has now been laid.

On the afternoon of Nov. 22, 2022 – while class was in session -- first responders were called to Tamanawis Secondary School. The victim, Mehakpreet Sethi, was rushed to hospital but could not be saved.

Authorities said officers arrived at the school within minutes of the stabbing being reported, and took a 17-year-old suspect into custody. In June of 2023, IHIT announced an arrest had been made in the case but did not release any additional details.

News of the teenager's death left the community reeling, including Mayor Brenda Locke, who called the circumstances of the crime "unsettling" and "disturbing."

“As a mother and grandmother, my heart is with all who have been impacted by this senseless tragedy," Locke said in a statement.

Investigators have said they believe Sethi and the suspect knew each other, and said the stabbing appears to be an isolated incident with no connection to the Lower Mainland gang conflict.