Police say a 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after the stabbing death of a Japanese citizen in Vancouver’s Chinatown last week.
Wataru Kakiuchi, also 32, was found injured on June 5 near Union and Main streets just before 3:30 a.m. and died before he could be taken to hospital, police said.
The response to the local chef’s death was swift, with Mayor Ken Sim calling it a “senseless act of violence.”
On Wednesday, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) announced that after a “round the clock” investigation, officers arrested Timothy Isborn in the Downtown Eastside on Monday afternoon and that the B.C. Prosecution Service has approved one count of second-degree murder.
“This was absolutely the highest priority for us,” VPD Sgt. Steve Addison said in a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
A beloved chef of a prominent downtown restaurant is being mourned. Wataru Kakiuchi, a 32-year-old man from Japan, was stabbed to death Wednesday morning near Chinatown. CBC’s Janella Hamilton is at the scene of the stabbing near Union and Main Street, where his friends and co-workers have gathered to remember him.
According to Addison, police are continuing the investigation to determine Isborn’s motive and do not believe the victim and the suspect knew each other.
He also said police believe Isborn previously spent time in Alberta before he came to Vancouver in recent years, and added that the suspect is “not somebody the VPD had extensively dealing with.”
Generally, second-degree murder is defined as a deliberate killing that occurs without planning. The minimum sentence for anyone found guilty is life in prison with no parole for 10 years.
The charge has not been tested in court. The suspect’s first appearance in court is scheduled for June 20.
‘Words can’t describe how sad we are’: Friend
Following Kakiuchi’s death, friends and co-workers at the Yaletown restaurant Hapa Izakaya gathered at the scene of his stabbing, describing him as a talented musician who was kind, funny and always ready to lift spirits.
Friend and co-worker Yoshihiro Tanabe said he wasn’t able to sleep after finding out about Kakiuchi’s sudden death and has been trying to process it.
“Why Wataru?” Tanabe said. “He’s so perfect.”
Hapa Izakaya owner Justin Ault said the news felt like “a kick in the stomach.”
Ault remembers Kakiuchi as a positive person who got along with everyone and was a “shockingly good” musician. He said the former chef was waiting on a new work permit to return to the restaurant.
“For some of the people in the kitchen, he was a real brother,” Ault said. “Words can’t describe how sad we are.”