The victim was found with serious injuries in Maffeo Sutton Park at around 11.30pm on Monday after police were called to the park to an initial complaint about a group of youths bullying a security guard. While searching the area, Mounties discovered a man suffering from serious stab wounds and another man doused in bear spray. The stabbing victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said in a statement Tuesday. The other victim, a 22-year-old man, was treated at the scene and released. Two suspects, a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old, were arrested the same afternoon. Police said they are also looking for a third person believed to be involved in the incident. On Thursday, Mounties said the people who had been arrested had been released without charge, noting that the investigation was in its early stages. “Investigators are aggressively pursuing this file and doing whatever is necessary to gather evidence and determine who is responsible for this homicide,” said Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien in a statement Thursday. On Friday, court documents showed that teenager Mark Harrison, born in 2003, had been charged with murder. Mounties said Friday afternoon that Harrison is from Nanaimo and was arrested late Thursday afternoon. Another teenager born in 2003, Aiden Bell, faces charges of assault with a weapon and possession of a prohibited weapon. Harrison is expected to appear in Nanaimo provincial court Friday afternoon and again on Sept. 20.
