Hundreds attend candlelight vigil to honour slain Granville Street nightclub worker
Part of street shut down due to the size of the crowd honouring Kalwinder Thind
Hundreds of friends, family and complete strangers braved the rain to pay tribute to Kalwinder Thind at the spot in Vancouver where he was killed.
Thind — who also went by "Kal" or "Kris" — was an employee at the Cabana Lounge on Granville Street. Police say he was stabbed while trying to break up an alcohol-fuelled fight early Saturday morning.
He was 23 years old.
On Wednesday evening, around 6 p.m. PT, people who knew Thind decorated a bollard and street light outside the Cabana Lounge.
They assembled a display of flowers rising several feet high: lilies, orchids and hydrangeas in shades of orange, yellow and pink.
As the crowd swelled in size, Punjabi music played while organizers handed out candles.
The police shut down a portion of the street due to the size of the crowd.
Vancouver police have blocked off <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Granvillestreet?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Granvillestreet</a> at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Davie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Davie</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Helmcken?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Helmcken</a> as vigil for Kalwinder Thind takes place in front of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cabana?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cabana</a> nightclub <a href="https://t.co/NDLbn75g4B">pic.twitter.com/NDLbn75g4B</a>
—@Meerakati'Our hero'
Thind's brother-in-law, Simran Bhullar, says those who knew the young man are sharing their memories of him with each other.
"He loved being the centre of attention. He would come up to our house when he was here, and, like, 'Whaddup!' really loud. You knew he was there," he recalled.
"You looked forward to seeing him. He was a guy who would make fun of people, but he would do it in such a way that everyone was laughing and no one got angry at him because it came from a good place."
Bhullar described Thind as a person who was sweet, caring and funny.
He also said the loss has left a hole in the lives of people who knew him.
"He was already our hero," he said.
Police on Monday asked for the public's help solving the case.
They said they are especially interested in cell phone photos and videos from witnesses.
With files from Meera Bains and CBC Radio's On The Coast