An armed police officer is deployed in front of the Canadian embassy in Cairo
IN PHOTO: An armed police officer is deployed in front of the Canadian embassy in Cairo December 9, 2014. Canada's embassy in Cairo was closed on Monday until further notice because of security concerns, an official answering its emergency telephone line said, the second diplomatic mission to shut its doors this week. REUTERS /Mohamed Abd El Ghany

A 15-year-old Canadian boy was killed in a group assault in Surrey. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team identified him as Dario Bartoli.

The teenager, who was killed on Saturday morning, was apparently attacked by a group of four or five people. The teenager's friend, who was with him during the assault, was also attacked by the group. IHIT spokeswoman Staff Sgt Jennifer Pound confirmed the attack. Officers were called to a house in the 15600 block of 18 Avenue at around 2:43 am. A couple of teenagers, aged 15 and 14, ran away after they had been assaulted. Bartoli was taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for critical injuries, while the 14-year-old suffered minor injuries. He had later passed away in Peace Arch Hospital at around 10:20 am.

Surrey RCMP Insp Bruce Stuart said that four to five people had attacked the teenagers. Homicide investigators took over the case while nobody was arrested in connection with the assault. CTV News reported that Stuart admitted that the motive behind the attack had not been clear. Officers were hoping that witnesses would come forward to explain what exactly happened. According to Pound, the group responsible for the assault had been reportedly consuming alcohol throughout the day. "We need to collect the truthful evidence, the true evidence that supports the theory of what occurred here and until we do that we can't move forward quickly," CBC News quoted her, "The early indication was that a group of youth was responsible for this. That has yet to be confirmed."

IHIT, on the other hand, said that it hoped that the group responsible for the attack would come forward and speak with the officers. It said that the name of the victim was released to let the group know that it was about them. Bartoli apparently spent the entire day with the group. Pound said that the officers were asking witnesses to come forward. Anyone who spent time with Bartoli throughout the day should come forward and talk to the investigators, she said.

Police said that there had been weapons involved in the assault. However, no further information was released about it.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au