Neighbours, friends gather at Burnaby vigil to honour Marrisa Shen

Marrisa Shen honoured at Burnaby vigil Dozens gathered to pay their respects as questions surrounding the murder grow.

A vigil was held in Burnaby Saturday evening to honour Marrisa Shen, a teen girl found dead in a local park Tuesday.

Those who knew Shen, along with many others who didn't, gathered at Central Park on Saturday evening to pay their respects.

"She's really quiet in front of strangers. But she's really nice to us, and funny," Sicy Liao, Shen's friend, told CTV News.

"You could just tell the type of person that she was. She was such a lovely person," another friend, Angelina, said.

Investigators have ruled the 13-year-old's death a homicide. She was last seen in surveillance footage walking into an apartment building on Tuesday evening before her body was discovered hours later in the park—a short walk from her home.

"She really liked Central Park, she'd go there by herself. And she'd wear her earphone really loud. And if somebody called her name, maybe she can't hear," Liao said.

Police say they can't tell whether the murder was targeted or random.

The killing has shaken the community, and parents are concerned for the safety of their own children.

"I have one daughter, she's a little bit older than Marrisa. That's why it hits very close to home," Louey Lizardo said.

Up until Shen's murder, Lizardo said she thought the park had been relatively safe.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's Sarah MacDonald.