Man held in stabbing death of 15-year-old boy at bus stop

A murder charge has been laid against a man accused of fatally stabbing a 15-year-old boy at a bus stop Thursday night.

Cory Daniel Barry, 39, was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Barry turned himself in at a police station about 15 minutes after the 8 p.m. stabbing of Justin Wendland. Police recovered a weapon Friday that may have been used in the stabbing.

Grieving family members of a slain Victoria High School student gathered Friday at the bus stop where he was killed to leave flowers and cards at a makeshift memorial.

Courtney Wendland said her brother was a great kid.

"My brother was the funniest guy on the planet and the sweetest guy in the world," she said. "He'd just always stand up for anybody."

Police and paramedics rushed to the Douglas Street bus stop Thursday night to find the boy bleeding profusely from a large chest wound. He was unresponsive, witnesses say.

"He was totally silent," said Michael Noel, who arrived moments after the stabbing. "It was kind of messy by the time we [saw] it."

Bystanders were reluctant to help the teen because of the gore, Noel added.

The teen was rushed to hospital with critical injuries, but died.

Shortly before police arrived, a man was seen running from the scene. Security footage from the nearby Victoria Times Colonist offices shows a man with a brown dog running past.

By early Friday afternoon, a Facebook page in memory of Justin had dozens of members. Posts to the page expressed shock at the news.

"You'll be missed man. Shouldn't have happened, it's unreal," one person wrote.

John Gaiptman, superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District, said 10 counsellors have been sent to the teen's school to help students and staff cope with the "absolutely senseless tragedy."

"They just lost a schoolmate, maybe a classmate," Gaiptman said.

"Our thoughts are with the child and with those who can't understand why a 15-year-old classmate is no longer with them."

Witnesses said there was no apparent discussion or argument between the suspect and the victim.

"They didn't talk to each other," said one young man.

The Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit is investigating.

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