Man, 25, suspected of fatally stabbing 19-year-old outside Vancouver nightclub arrested and charged

Nearly a year after a 19-year-old was fatally stabbed outside a nightclub in South Vancouver, police say they’ve arrested and charged his suspected killer.

Mohammed Cortes Torres, 25, was taken into custody on Sunday and faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of Naseb Fazil, according to a statement issued by the Vancouver Police Department on Tuesday.

The victim was stabbed in the neck outside the Gallery nightclub in the early hours of May 23, 2022, after police say a fight broke out between a large group shortly after the venue closed.

According to the VPD, first responders tried to save the 19-year-old’s life, but Fazil later died in hospital.

The resulting homicide investigation led to the arrest of Torres, who police say was a Surrey resident at the time of the Fazil’s death.

“Police believe he was more recently staying on Vancouver Island,” reads the VPD statement. “Vancouver police thank Saanich police for their assistance during the investigation.”    

The VPD declined to answer further questions regarding the suspect and his alleged crime, including whether investigators believe it’s linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict.

“I can’t get into specifics as some of that will come out through the court case,” Const. Tania Visintin wrote in an email to CTV News.

Cortes Torres is scheduled to appear in Vancouver criminal court on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.