The mother of one of the two young men shot in Lund on Saturday, June 17, said her son Dylan Buckle and his friend Braxton Leask were "like brothers."
"All of the kids in Powell River know that if you saw Braxton, you saw Dylan, and if you saw Dylan, you saw Braxton," said Dylan's mother Terry Buckle, who lives in Chilliwack. "They were always together. So this isn't just one child gone for me; this is two brothers gone."
Terry said Dylan and Leask spent much time travelling together and playing soccer. Dylan had recently returned to Powell River after living in England, and Terry said Leask stayed close with the Buckle family even when Dylan was afar.
"Braxton went on a trip to Alaska with us, he went to Mexico with us,” said Terry. “He would come visit us when Dylan was in England."
Terry said Dylan was a volunteer firefighter in Powell River and had recently interviewed to join the Royal Canadian Navy. She said the families of the two victims are in complete shock.
"You can wrap your head around your child being in a car accident or something, but you are never prepared to hear that your child has been shot and killed," said Terry. "Unfortunately, they had only told me about Dylan, so for the majority of the day I only knew about him and not Braxton. I had no idea what had happened, so when I found out all of the details I was very shocked."
Both young men graduated from Brooks Secondary School in 2014 and the bond they shared was well-known among local youth. Terry said many of her son's and Leask's friends have reached out to her since the shooting.
"I just pray that everyone stays close and keeps an eye on each other to make sure everyone is staying safe mentally, and not becoming consumed with the tragedy that has happened," said Terry. "I hope everyone in Powell River pulls together and stays strong, and we'll get through this."
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