Tamil boy killed in Toronto clash- Police

A clash between two groups resulted in the death of a Tamil youth in east-end Toronto over the weekend, the Canadian police said on Monday adding that the incident was a "senseless occurrence" that never should have happened.

Kristian Thanapalan died of a blunt force injury to his head after he was beaten by a group armed with baseball and cricket bats early Saturday, police said.

Toronto police Det.-Sgt. Savas Kyriacou says the 22-year-old and his friends were swarmed after they finished playing a game of volleyball in a park late at night.

Thanapalan and five other young men had gathered earlier in the evening at an east-end park, where they bumped a volleyball around until sunset.

Wanting to continue the game, the group of friends moved to a lit field at a public school nearby.

Kyriacou said they formed a circle, keeping the volleyball up without nets. "It was just a bunch of friends getting together to spend an evening together."

Another group of 15 to 20 young men were playing baseball or cricket at a nearby baseball field. When the lights went out around 11 p.m., both games ended.

The two groups went to a parking lot, where Thanapalan and his friends continued playing volleyball and the others entered vehicles.

"During that time, we believe there was an exchange of words," Kyriacou said.

Police don't know what was said, but the vehicles left and returned a number of times to circle a nearby cul de sac.

As Thanapalan and his friends left the parking lot around 12:15 a.m., a group of about eight males approached them, Kyriacou said.

>> Full Story