Tenzin Tseten Homicide - @ torontopolice d / sgt. pauline gray

DETECTIVE SERGEANTPAULINE GRAY, TORONTO POLICE SERVICE HOMICIDE SQUAD: Good afternoon everyone.  This is in relation to Homicide 10 for 2014.  On Sunday March 9th at approximately 3:20am an altercation broke outside of the Tibetan Cultural Centre located at 40 Titan Road located within the city of Toronto. Several males attempted to break up the fight and in the melee a knife was brandished, two men were subsequently stabbed. One male was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and has subsequently been released and the other was transported via an emergency run to St Michael’s hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The victim died from a stab wound to his chest. The suspect is described as a male who appears Tibetan 17 to 20 years old with dark short hair. The deceased male is identified as Tenzin TSETEN. He is 22 years old and lives in the city of Toronto. Mr TSETEN was an employed young man with tight family ties. As you can well imagine his family is devastated and struggling to understand how a New Year’s celebration could descend into a ***.  At the time that the centre was closing I am aware that there were 30 to 40 people in and around where this fight occurred. We have interviewed but a few of these people. The victim’s family and I are asking for the cooperation of the people who have not yet spoken to police but were at that celebration to contact my team at 416 808 7400. Thank you.  REPORTER:  Pauline, so the victim, he was attending this New Year's Dance that was going on at the Cultural Centre that night? DET/SGT GRAY:  That is correct REPORTER: You said several people, several males I assume tried to break up a fight? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes REPORTER: Were they also at the party? DET/SGT GRAY: Everyone involved was at the party that night, yes.  REPORTER: Was the victim a person in the original fight, or was he one of the people wo was trying to break up the fight? DET/SGT GRAY: I believe, from the information I have at this time, he is one of the people who is attempting to break up the original fight. REPORTER: Do we know what the fight was about? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't. REPORTER:  I heard from someone that the altercation may have started inside and moved outside. Did it start inside or did it start outside the building? DET/SGT GRAY: Well I would like to talk to that person that gave you that information but my information is no the altercation began in the parking lot directly to the east of the Cultural Centre. REPORTER: You said you have interviewed about 40 witnesses, and you have interviewed everyone except for a few? DET/SGT GRAY: No, I have interviewed "A Few" REPORTER: You are asking the rest of the people to come forward? DET/SGT GRAY: That is right. Most of the people I am guessing at this point were unaware of what had happened. There was a large crowd outside. It was fairly cold. They were moving to their cars. I think most people were aware that there was a fight per se. It was fairly large. What I would think is that they were not aware that it turned into a stabbing and ultimately a ***.  So I am encouraging those people who certainly were just walking to their cars or left because the police cars were coming in to come and speak to me.  I don't know if they have information directly related to the ***, but I certainly know they have information related to what the original fight was about and that sort of thing.  REPORTER:  Do they know why people haven't come forward?  DET/SGT GRAY: I don't know. I can intimate that perhaps, exactly what I said, they were unaware that what they saw as an original maybe just fisticuffs between a group on young men actually is now a homicide.  REPORTER:  Sorry, I may have missed it, but have police been able to talk to anybody who tried to break the fight up? DET/SGT GRAY: We have talked to several people, yes.  REPORTER:  Have any of them indicated that they do know the suspect or was this person a stranger to them? DET/SGT GRAY: It is a very tight community. It is my theory that although some people in the argument don't know particularly the other people, they are aware of them within the community.  REPORTER: And they would recognizable? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes they would be recognizable.  REPORTER: Do we know if that one person stabbed both people? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't at this time, No. REPORTER:  Was the victim previously known to police at all? CONSTABLE DAVID HOPKINSON TORONTO POLICE SERVICE CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Good afternoon and welcome to 40 College Street, Toronto Police Headquarters.  My name is David Hopkinson for Corporate Communications. I would like to first thank the media for attending and broadcasting our message. Without them this would not be possible.  I am here to introduce Detective (Sergeant) Pauline Gray from our Homicide Squad.  She is going to talk to you and update you about a *** investigation that occurred this past weekend.  Detective:  DETECTIVE SERGEANTPAULINE GRAY, TORONTO POLICE SERVICE HOMICIDE SQUAD: Good afternoon everyone.  This is in relation to Homicide 10 for 2014.  On Sunday March 9th at approximately 3:20am an altercation broke outside of the Tibetan Cultural Centre located at 40 Titan Road located within the city of Toronto. Several males attempted to break up the fight and in the melee a knife was brandished, two men were subsequently stabbed. One male was transported to an area hospital where he was treated and has subsequently been released and the other was transported via an emergency run to St Michael’s hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The victim died from a stab wound to his chest. The suspect is described as a male who appears Tibetan 17 to 20 years old with dark short hair. The deceased male is identified as Tenzin TSETEN. He is 22 years old and lives in the city of Toronto. Mr TSETEN was an employed young man with tight family ties. As you can well imagine his family is devastated and struggling to understand how a New Year’s celebration could descend into a ***.  At the time that the centre was closing I am aware that there were 30 to 40 people in and around where this fight occurred. We have interviewed but a few of these people. The victim’s family and I are asking for the cooperation of the people who have not yet spoken to police but were at that celebration to contact my team at 416 808 7400. Thank you.  REPORTER:  Pauline, so the victim, he was attending this New Year's Dance that was going on at the Cultural Centre that night? DET/SGT GRAY:  That is correct REPORTER: You said several people, several males I assume tried to break up a fight? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes REPORTER: Were they also at the party? DET/SGT GRAY: Everyone involved was at the party that night, yes.  REPORTER: Was the victim a person in the original fight, or was he one of the people wo was trying to break up the fight? DET/SGT GRAY: I believe, from the information I have at this time, he is one of the people who is attempting to break up the original fight. REPORTER: Do we know what the fight was about? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't. REPORTER:  I heard from someone that the altercation may have started inside and moved outside. Did it start inside or did it start outside the building? DET/SGT GRAY: Well I would like to talk to that person that gave you that information but my information is no the altercation began in the parking lot directly to the east of the Cultural Centre. REPORTER: You said you have interviewed about 40 witnesses, and you have interviewed everyone except for a few? DET/SGT GRAY: No, I have interviewed "A Few" REPORTER: You are asking the rest of the people to come forward? DET/SGT GRAY: That is right. Most of the people I am guessing at this point were unaware of what had happened. There was a large crowd outside. It was fairly cold. They were moving to their cars. I think most people were aware that there was a fight per se. It was fairly large. What I would think is that they were not aware that it turned into a stabbing and ultimately a ***.  So I am encouraging those people who certainly were just walking to their cars or left because the police cars were coming in to come and speak to me.  I don't know if they have information directly related to the ***, but I certainly know they have information related to what the original fight was about and that sort know. I can intimate that perhaps, exactly what I said, they were unaware that what they saw as an original maybe just fisticuffs between a group on young men actually is now a homicide.  REPORTER:  Sorry, I may have missed it, but have police been able to talk to anybody who tried to break the fight up? DET/SGT GRAY: We have talked to several people, yes.  REPORTER:  Have any of them indicated that they do know the suspect or was this person a stranger to them? DET/SGT GRAY: It is a very tight community. It is my theory that although some people in the argument don't know particularly the other people, they are aware of them within the community.  REPORTER: And they would recognizable? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes they would be recognizable.  REPORTER: Do we know if that one person stabbed both people? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't know at this time, No. REPORTER:  Was the victim  known to police at all? broadcasting our message. Without them this would not be possible.  I am here to introduce Detective (Sergeant) Pauline Gray from our Homicide Squad.  She is going to talk to you and update you about a *** investigation that occurred this past weekend.  Detective:  DETECTIVE SERGEANTPAULINE GRAY, TORONTO POLICE SERVICE HOMICIDE SQUAD: Good afternoon everyone.  This is in relation to Homicide 10 for 2014.  On Sunday March 9th at approximately Road located within the city of Toronto. Several males attempted to break up the fight and to an area hospital where he was treated and has subsequently been released and the other was transported via an emergency run to St Michael’s hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The victim died from a stab wound to his chest. The suspect is described as a male who appears Tibetan 17 to 20 years old with dark short hair. The deceased male is identified as Tenzin TSETEN. He is 22 years old and lives in the city of Toronto. Mr TSETEN was an employed young man with tight family ties. As you can well imagine his family is devastated and struggling to understand how a New Year’s celebration could descend into a ***.  At the time that the centre was closing I am aware that there were 30 to 40 people in and around where this fight occurred. We have interviewed but a few of these people. The victim’s family and I are asking for the cooperation of the people who have not yet spoken to police but were at that celebration he was attending this New Year's Dance that was going on at the Cultural Centre that night? DET/SGT GRAY:  That is correct REPORTER: You said several people, several males I assume tried to break up a fight? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes REPORTER: Were they also at the party? DET/SGT GRAY: Everyone involved was at the party that night, yes.  REPORTER: Was the victim a person in the original fight, or was he one of the people wo was trying to break up the fight? DET/SGT GRAY: I believe, from the information I have at this time, he is one of the people who is attempting to break up the original fight. REPORTER: Do we know what the fight was about? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't. REPORTER:  I heard from someone that the altercation may have started inside and moved outside. Did it start inside or did it start outside the building? DET/SGT GRAY: Well I would like to talk to that person that gave you that information but my information is no the altercation began in the parking lot directly to the east of the Cultural Centre. REPORTER: You said you have interviewed about 40 witnesses, and you have interviewed everyone except for a few? DET/SGT GRAY: No, I have interviewed "A Few" REPORTER: You are asking the rest of the people to come forward? DET/SGT GRAY: That is right. Most of the people I am guessing at this point were unaware of what had happened. There was a large crowd outside. It was fairly cold. They were moving to their cars. I think most people were aware that there was a fight per se. It was fairly large. What I would think is that they were not aware that it turned into a stabbing and ultimately a ***.  So I am encouraging those people who certainly were just walking to their cars or left because the police cars were coming in to come and speak to me.  I don't know if they have information directly related to the ***, but I certainly know they have information related to what the original fight was about and that sort of thing.  REPORTER:  Do they know why people haven't come forward?  DET/SGT GRAY: I don't know. I can intimate that perhaps, exactly what I said, they were unaware that what they saw as an original maybe just fisticuffs between a group on young men actually is now a homicide.  REPORTER:  Sorry, I may have missed it, We have talked to several people, yes.  REPORTER:  Have any of them indicated that they do the other people, they are aware of them within the community.  REPORTER: And they would recognizable? DET/SGT GRAY: Yes they would be recognizable.  REPORTER: Do we know if that one person stabbed both people? DET/SGT GRAY: I don't know at this time, No. REPORTER: Was the victim known to police at all? DET/SGT GRAY: not that I can speak to, no.  REPORTER:  So the person that you are looking for, what was the description again? DET/SGT GRAY:  Again, Male, who appears Tibetan, 17 to 20 years old with dark short hair. I will say that he is probably closer to 17 than he is 20. He is probably a young man, Sorry REPORTER: Are you basing that on any photographic evidence or any? DET/SGT GRAY: No, I am basing it, I am basing it on statements and witness accounts. There is some generalities there, but I am leaning towards a younger man.  We do have numerous cameras in buildings in the area. The area is an industrial area of the city.  Just today we are gathering that video evidence and we will be looking at that over the next couple of days.  REPORTER:      This person got run down then driven away. You can really take the subway from that area? DET/SGT GRAY: There is actually a fair amount of transit in the area. I am not convinced that he drove away. I am convinced that he definitely left, but how he left the area I am not aware of.  REPORTER:  So you know for sure you are looking for one person, but  REPORTER: Ok, is there a criminal past or a criminal record or anything of sorts? DET/SGT GRAY: I can't speak to a past criminal record.  REPORTER:  Do you believe that he was not a target? DET/SGT GRAY:  No, in this instance the victim is a gentleman who went in to break up a fight between a group of other young men and subsequently was stabbed.  Ok, Thanks guys, Thanks so much.