One year after the murder of 15-year-old Jason Nguyen in East Vancouver, police are offering a hefty reward in the hopes of bringing whoever is responsible to justice.

The Vancouver Police Board is putting up the $10,000 reward in exchange for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Nguyen’s killer or killers, police announced Tuesday.

The boy’s murder shocked the community, and one year later police said they’re still trying to determine what the motivation could have been.

“He had no association to crime whatsoever and he is truly an innocent child,” Sgt. Randy Fincham said.

It’s possible Nguyen was targeted because of his association with someone else, Fincham added.

“We don’t believe that Jason was randomly murdered. We believe that someone had intentionally done this to Jason, and it’s his acquaintance with another person that led to that,” he said.

It was 3 p.m. in the afternoon when Nguyen stumbled into his sister’s bedroom, severely injured and covered in blood, at their family home near 24th Avenue and Rupert Street last July.

The teenager collapsed and his sister frantically called 911 for help. He was rushed to hospital, but succumbed to his injuries on the operating table.

On Tuesday, the victim’s family issued a public plea for anyone with information to come forward. His sister, Tiffany Nguyen, told reporters the murder has left them devastated.

“He’s my only brother, and it’s so hard for me,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “And it’s really hard for my parents too because he’s their little son… they’ve raised him up to now and all of a sudden he’s gone, and they just don’t know why.”

Police said anyone wishing to claim the reward in Nguyen’s case must volunteer their information before June 7 of next year.

Tipsters can contact the VPD at 604-717-2500 or by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.