Whistler homicide victim remembered as 'peaceful man'
Last Updated: Monday, March 12, 2007 | 12:59 PM PT
CBC News
The family of a 26-year-old Coquitlam, B.C., resident shot to death in Whistler over the weekend says he was a peaceful, good-natured man.
Michael Boutros was killed during an altercation between two groups of young men early Saturday morning in the Whistler Village Square.
Michael Boutros, 26, was working on his plumbing apprenticeship.
(CBC)
The shooting took place in view of an RCMP officer with his dog on the other side of the square as the resort community's nightclubs and bars closed for the night. The pair caught the suspect after a short chase.
The man was making his first court appearance in North Vancouver on Monday.
Family members of the victim, waiting outside the courthouse to get a look at the accused, described Boutros as an innocent victim.
"He's a peaceful man, he loves life, he loves his family and he loves his friends. All he wanted from life was to live peacefully," said his cousin, William Issa.
"It is tough for everybody, especially for his brother and sister. And especially for his mom and dad. He is a young man, and unfortunately things happen. They took his life too soon. And we're trying to cope with this."
Boutros was working on his plumbing apprenticeship.
The man accused of shooting him, 27-year-old Shane Richards of Surrey, has been in and out of prison, and was supposed to be in court this Wednesday on unrelated charges, including failure to appear.
In September, he was sentenced to five months in jail for drug-trafficking offences.
The shooting was Whistler's first homicide in 30 years.
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