Toronto's latest homicide victim was a "nice, young man" with a bright future in biotechnology before he was viciously swarmed and beaten to death over the weekend, according to police.
The lead investigator in the case made a public plea on Monday asking members of Toronto's Tamil community to come forward if they have any information on who may have been involved in the attack.
Kristian Thanapalan, 22, was killed early Saturday morning after getting into a fight at Glamorgan Park on Antrim Crescent near Kennedy Road. He was rushed to hospital but died soon after arriving. An autopsy showed the young man died from a blunt force injury to the head.
Det. Sgt. Savas Kyriacou said at a news conference Monday that Thanapalan was with some friends playing a pick-up game of volleyball in a field where a second group of about 25 men were playing another game.
Thanapalan and his friends moved their game to the parking lot but reportedly got into a verbal exchange with some people from the second group of men as they were getting into their cars, police said.
Kyriacou said the suspects left but then came back to the scene. At around midnight, the two groups of men began fighting.
Police say the victim and his friends were attacked with baseball and cricket bats. Residents who live at the scene called police.
Witnesses told police that a man in his mid-20s tried to break up the fight. Authorities are now looking to speak with that person.
Kyriacou also said that both groups of men that were involved in the fight are from the Tamil community. At the news conference, an interpreter reiterated the public plea in Tamil.
"I implore you to do the right thing," said Kyriacou. "He had everything to live for. He has a nice family. This type of senseless occurrence should never have happened."
The young man's family was devastated by the news, said David Poopalapillai with the Canadian Tamil Congress.
"On hearing the news, we were told that the grandma of this victim had to be hospitalized," he said. "She's still in hospital. It's a great loss for the family."
Anyone with information is being asked to call the homicide squad at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS.
Thanapalan is Toronto's 28th murder victim of 2009.
