Barrie, Ont. family of homicide victim releases statement

Family shares grief after death of Western student The family and friends of first-year student Gabriel Neil are speaking out after his death in London. CTV's Jaden Lee-Lincoln has more.

Exeter, Ont. — The family of Gabriel Neil, a recent homicide victim in London, Ont., is breaking its silence.

In a statement to CTV News, a representative from the family says they are grateful for the care Gabe received and the family is asking for privacy.

"We are absolutely devastated by the loss of Gabe. He was a gentle and kind soul who made friends wherever he went. He was excited to be starting his first year of Kinesiology at Western and had aspirations of one day becoming a doctor.

We would like to thank the staff at Western University, London Police Service, the paramedics that responded to the scene, the emergency room staff at London Health Sciences Center, Victoria Hospital, and a special thank you to the staff of the Critical Care Trauma Centre, for the care they have provided not only to Gabe but to us as well.

We will not be conducting interviews or issuing any further statements at this time and we ask for privacy as we grieve together with our family."

CTV News reached out to staff at Simcoe County District School Board as well as Bear Creek Secondary School where Neil attended and received a statement from one of the young man’s former coaches.

"Unfortunately, at this time we are dealing with grieving staff and football players. From a parent/coach perspective Gabe was the kind of guy you want your daughter to bring home. He was a very personable and compassionate individual. I had the pleasure of going on rugby tour to the U.K. with him and he was an exemplar student/player representing our school and country. Please do your best to portray him as the amazing young man he was and how tragic and senseless this was.”

According to the school board, the Traumatic Incident Response Team (TIRT) has been contacted and are available to provide students and staff with support as required.

The 18-year-old from Barrie, Ont. was found in the area of Western Road and Sarnia Road around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Neil was found suffering from serious injuries and was rushed to hospital.

According to police, Neil later died as a result of his injuries.

Aliyan Ahmed, 21, of London has been arrested and charged with one count of manslaughter.