Friends of the man killed last week in a brutal attack on an Edmonton transit bus are remembering him as a gifted musician and great friend.

Stefan William (Will) Conley, 35, was beaten to death in the attack last week. Four teens are facing manslaughter charges in connection with the incident.

Stefan William (Will) Conley
Stefan William (Will) Conley

Arnie Saathof says he can't understand how something like this could happen to his friend of seven years.

"I don't want people of Edmonton to think he was just some nameless, faceless guy on the back of the bus," said Saathof. "He had a lot of friends and he's extremely missed."

Saathof described Conley as a gifted artist and musician, a great pool player and a great friend. He hopes to plan a memorial service once he has a chance to speak to Conley's family.

Conley's father and brother are expected to arrive in Edmonton Thursday. They left their homes in Ontario to drive across the country after learning of Conley's death.

On Monday, police chief Mike Boyd ordered a review of the incident after reports that it took police 20 minutes to arrive at the scene of the attack. The following day, Boyd said it shouldn't have taken police so long to respond.

"We failed in the handling of this call," Boyd said. "I can't describe it in any other way."

Boyd said a new procedure would be put in place in all police divisions to make sure a car is always available for top priority calls.

A number of people were also on the bus at the time of the attack. They left the bus to call for help but didn't intervene.

Three 17-year-old males and a 16-year-old appeared in court Monday charged with manslaughter. They're scheduled to appear in court again on Friday.