Police say they're confident they will identify all five suspects sought in the murder of Surrey teen Devon Allaire-Bell last April, but are urging any in the group who did not directly participate in the slaying to come forward.
Cpl. Jennifer Pound of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said police do not believe all five suspects "had a hold of the weapon when Devon was killed," and offered them a chance to come clean.
"We are here to listen to your side," Pound said. "We know that there's a story here."
Pound said investigators have received a number of solid tips since releasing clear surveillance video of the suspects taken on April 24, the night Devon and his friend were stabbed behind Frank Hurt Secondary School.
Relatives say Devon should have boarded a plane Monday morning to visit Haida Gwaii for a family reunion. Instead, the 19-year-old's parents spent the day replacing suspect posters that have been torn down in Surrey.
"In certain areas a lot of them have been ripped down," mother Cynthia Allaire-Bell said. "We just keep going and putting them right back up because obviously people know who these guys are."
Wayne Bell said his life has been on hold since 4:30 a.m. on April 25th, when police knocked on his door to deliver the news that his son was dead, and that even seeing the killers locked up won't bring him closure.
"I don't see an end to it for us," Bell said. "The pain is unimaginable. I have never been through this in my life."
Bell urged anyone who has even a small recollection about the night of his son's murder to contact police. "That little piece may be the piece that brings everything together," he said. "We as a community have to come together on this. We've seen too much of it."
The men in the surveillance images are difficult to identify, but police are asking the public to pay attention to the distinct appearances of two individuals. One man in a white and black baseball cap is seen in a light-coloured shirt with writing on the back. Another has a unique haircut with the sides and back shaved and only a small amount of hair on top of his head.
Investigators have also released a map depicting the route the suspects took towards the school, beginning at King George Boulevard at 64th Avenue at 7:30 p.m. before entering the McDonalds on 72nd Avenue at 7:50.
They then headed northbound on 137th Street towards the high school. The 911 call reporting the stabbing came in at 8:36.
Anyone with information is asked to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-IHIT or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Brent Shearer
