The parents of an Oshawa teen stabbed to death last week at a fight with a fellow student filed into a Whitby church on Monday to say their goodbyes.
Rhonda Corby and Mike McDonald Sr. led the procession of mourners into Westminster United Church in Whitby for the funeral of Mike McDonald Jr., who was only 16 when he died.
Biggy, as his friends called him, was a football player at Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic Secondary School in Oshawa. His teammates paid tribute to him by wearing their jerseys to the funeral. They formed lines as honourary pallbearers and then offered a salutary pre-game chant.
Players afterward said he was a star player whose absence will be greatly missed.
Outside the church, some peers of McDonald referred to him as being a big teddy, adding he was like a brother to them. One said he did not deserve to die. They said the service captured the essence of McDonald's life.
Durham Regional Police allege that on March 30, McDonald got into the fight, one witnessed by dozens of classmates. Things turned deadly when the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed McDonald.
Teachers attempted to break up the fight, but failed to prevent the stabbing. The suspect was arrested a short time later.
Jacques Amakon, 18, of Oshawa, has been charged with second-degree murder and possession of a dangerous weapon. He is in custody and will appear in court on Tuesday.
No allegations against Amakon have been proven in a court of law.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin
