A Dawson Creek concert event ended with one person dead, another hospitalized and three suspects arrested after an altercation inside of the venue.
The man who died was reportedly beaten to death by his attackers while others tried to intervene.
The day after Canadian rock band Hedley performed at the Prince George's CN Centre, crowds gathered at Dawson Creek's Encana Event Centre Tuesday night to watch the same show, but at 9:30 p.m. police were alerted that a fight was underway.
According to early reports, the fight involved one group of three friends who set themselves on another group of two friends.
"It is our understanding that a beer was spilled and an altercation took place following that," said North District RCMP spokeswoman Const. Lesley Smith. "Apparently, the two friends tried to walk away from the incident but were assaulted by our three suspects."
When one of the victims fell to the ground, and the three attackers continued their assault, another stranger intervened. That action broke up the fight.
The suspects ranged in age from 18 to 20 years old, and neither of the groups were known to each other or to police.
"This is a clear indication of what can happen when you are influenced by alcohol. Your emotions can take over," said Smith. "There may not have been an attempt to take someone's life, but due to the violence of the assault, it went to the extent that someone's life was lost."
The intervening civilian was not injured and spared the other victim further assault. The victim with more serious wounds, however, succumbed to those injuries. He was a 28-year-old man from the Fort St. John area.
"The second victim is co-operating with police and suffered non-life-threatening injuries," said Smith. "The three suspects left the scene but were subsequently located and arrested in a different drinking establishment. There was, to my knowledge, no altercation during the arrest."
The arrested three, all from the Fort. St. John area, are now the subject of a Dawson Creek RCMP investigation with the help of the Fort St. John Forensic Identification Unit and North District Major Crime Unit.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the specifics in the man's death.
No names from the incident have been released.
RCMP are asking anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or could provide information to assist police with this investigation, to contact the Dawson Creek RCMP at (250)784-3700 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
