Marcus Larabie, 14, killed by car driven by off-duty Abbotsford officer

A teenage boy who was struck and killed by a car driven by an off-duty Abbotsford, B.C., police officer Friday has been identified by family and friends as 14-year-old Marcus Larabie.

A makeshift memorial was growing Saturday, as those who knew Larabie visited the Seven Oaks bus loop near where he was hit and laid flowers against a nearby tree.

Joshua Rawlings, a close friend, said he's going to miss his longboarding partner.

"He’d always go longboarding with me," he said. "He could be everyone’s best friend. He was like a little angel. I don’t know. I’m going to miss him. Everyone’s going to miss him."

The incident happened at 6:15 p.m. PT Friday near the intersection of Mill Lake Road and West Bourquin Crescent in Abbotsford.

The province's Independent Investigations Office, which provides civilian oversight of serious police incidents, said Larabie was airlifted to hospital immediately after the accident, but died of his injuries.

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"We learned shortly before midnight that the young person had not survived his injuries," IIO spokesperson Kellie Kilpatrick said. "We had an investigator at the hospital providing support to the family, but unfortunately he [the boy] did not survive."

Lewis Tucker, Larabie's uncle, said the family was notified shortly after 7 p.m. and spent the last minutes with him at the hospital.

"Mostly I'm just very upset that something had happened and that nothing could be done for him," he said.

"Full of life, that little boy. He was at our house every weekend with his older uncle Dryden and we had many great moments together, camping trips, PNE, Coliseum. He was like another son. The house is going to be empty for awhile."

Larabie is a student at nearby Abbotsford Middle School.

The driver of the 2009 Mazda 3, who was identified as an off-duty Abbotsford police officer, remained at the scene.  

The IIO was then called in to investigate.

Busy area

Kilpatrick said the accident site is a very busy area near a mall and a bus loop. She said investigators heard reports the teen may have been on a skateboard, but weren't able to confirm the reports. 

"We certainly have received that information as well, so it’s critically important to the young person’s family, to the police officers, to the community, that we get accurate, reliable, independent information," she said.

"Whether the young person was, or was not, on a skateboard is certainly something we are going to be pursuing.

​"We understand there may be video surveillance in the area where the buses are. So there will be several investigators, likely our team director and our traffic re-constructionist, out trying to obtain all information that is available to us."

Kilpatrick said investigators believe there were other witnesses to the accident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the IIO infoline at 1-855-446-8477.