'Unbelievable heart': Granville Street victim remembered by friends, coworkers

Tributes are pouring in for a nightclub worker who was killed trying to break up a fight at Cabana Lounge on Vancouver's Granville Street strip early Saturday morning.

Friends and former coworkers of 23-year-old Kalwinder "Kal" Thind say that's just the kind of altruism they had come to expect from him.

"He wouldn't stand by and watch things happen," said Nikki Cunningham, who worked with Thind at Richmond Chrysler Dodge Jeep.

"He would want to try and help, without question."

'We all looked up to him'

Cunningham said Thind had just left his job at the dealership in December to start work as a bar promoter. Cunningham said Thind's long-term plan was to get into real estate.

She said staff at the dealership are devastated by what happened to Thind, who had worked there for over a year.

"He was just in the dealership a couple of days ago, excited about this new job," Cunningham said, who described Thind's relationship with his coworkers as "like family."

"He was telling us everything that was going on in his life and the next thing you know he is gone. How do you prepare yourself for something like that?"

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Dealership staff set up a makeshift memorial for Thind on Saturday, stopping by throughout the day to reminisce.

Danny Mouro, Thind's former manager, said Thind was a hard worker with a big personality, beloved by coworkers and customers alike.

"He wanted to achieve big things in life, but he knew how to have fun, too," Mouro said. "[He was] a big strong guy and we all looked up to him."

A bar fight gone wrong

Police say the fight that ultimately killed Thind started inside the Cabana Lounge around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday. The fight spilled out into the street, when Thind stepped in and attempted to stop it.

According to police, Thind was injured as a result, and later died in hospital. Police did not specify what injuries killed Thind.

Tasha Marshall saw the fight from a nearby window. She says the brawl involved what appeared to be as many 30 people.

"The cops pulled up and I looked down and I [saw] somebody laying on the ground," Marshall said.

"The road went from clear water to red. It was really sad."

Police say several people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

With files from Susanna da Silva.