The family of the teenager who died after he was mugged outside an Edmonton high school remember him as a gentle boy who liked to cook.
Karanveer Sahota, called Karan by his family, was attacked outside McNally High School on April 8, less than a month after his 16th birthday. The 10th grader died a week later.
His cousins, Monica Binns and Shivleen Sidhu, say they don’t know why anyone would attack the quiet boy who was taking care of his mother and little sister.
“This kind of thing doesn’t happen to good people like Karan,” Binns said.
Both she and Sidhu described being in a state of disbelief when they first heard the news that Sahota was in hospital. Sidhu said she expected only minor injuries and added that she hoped she would only be in the hospital for a few days.
“Sometimes I still wake up in disbelief that Karan is not physically with us,” he said.
‘A gem of a child’
Sidhu fondly recalls his memories of Sahota as a baby. She said that she lived across the street and would help her aunt by getting diapers.
“I remember every day I was with him, playing with him. I was so excited,” she said of being an older cousin.
As Sahota grew older, his cousins say he became an active boy, always full of energy and love.
To combat boredom and express creativity, Binns said Sahota developed a passion for cooking.
She said that he not only cooked for his family, but also enjoyed cooking for his friends.
“And it’s a unique attribute because it’s not something you would generally find in our community,” Binns said.
On top of that, Binns said that Sahota was looking forward to taking care of his mother and younger sister. His mother would come home from work and Sahota would wash all the dishes, he said.
“He was a good kid. He was just a gem of a kid,” Binns said.
While many of Sahota’s friends had cars, Binns said he was fine taking the bus. He didn’t ask his mother for money either, he said.
“All he wanted to do was ease his mother’s burden,” Binns said. “And he just couldn’t wait to grow up and help her.”
Identified suspects
Both Sidhu and Binns spent time with Sahota in the hospital after he was attacked. They said they talked to him, held his hands and brushed his hair, just as they had done when he was little.
“I know you were listening,” Binns said.
The women said they hoped he would wake up one day and be able to ask what had happened.
“And now we’ll never get a chance to do that,” Sidhu said.
Homicide detectives are now investigating the case. Edmonton Police Services say several young suspects have been identified.
For now, Sidhu says he hopes for justice, but also says “nothing will ever be enough” to make up for the loss of his cousin.
“Our family is completely destroyed,” Binn said. “How we started to heal, I don’t even know because it’s not just one person, it’s hundreds of people.”
Reference-www.cbc.ca