Charges laid in hit-and-run that killed Kelowna teen

Tristan Seeger is seen in an image posted on his mother's Facebook page.

A man has now been charged for his alleged role in a hit-and-run that killed a teenager in Kelowna, B.C., last fall.

Tristan Seeger, 15, was critically wounded after being struck by an SUV in the city’s Rutland neighbourhood on Oct. 21, 2023.

The teenager's mother, Paule Seeger, said staff at Kelowna General Hospital spent 16 hours working tirelessly to save her son's life before he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.

At the time, the Kelowna RCMP said Seeger’s death followed another incident in Rutland in which "a number of people" were bear-sprayed by a group of youths. The RCMP suggested the incidents may have been linked, but did not say how.

Mounties launched a homicide investigation and made two arrests in the days following the fatal incident.

On Friday, police announced that charges had been laid against 30-year-old Brandon Kazakoff. He has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death; failure to stop at the scene of an accident; and assault with a weapon.

Police say Kazakoff was arrested on Thursday and will appear in court in the near future.

“The investigation remains ongoing and now before the courts, as such the RCMP will not be providing any further details,” the detachment wrote.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Andrew Weichel