A group of young girls and their families are speaking out after a bear spray incident in Kelowna, B.C., last Halloween night.
Global News is only identifying the girls by their first names.
The incident happened at Curlew Park in Kelowna’s Upper Mission neighbourhood, when the girls say they were approached by a group of boys, allegedly wearing ski masks.
“They asked us to follow them down the pathway and we said no, so we kept walking,” said Kamryn.
However, they say the boys continued to follow them.
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“Then we got to the basketball court and hung out with some friends and then they came up right behind us and we didn’t see them because it was dark and they came up in front of us and just sprayed us,” said Nina-Vienne.
Fear took over as the girls immediately felt the burn from the bear spray.
“It felt like (my face) was on fire, like it physically caught on fire, you’re whole face is burning,” said Nina-Vienne.
Four months later, the parents say they’ve been given little to no information on the case.
“The updates have been that there are no updates, that the case is still open, that they haven’t brought the suspects in for questioning,” said Alana Stroeder, one of the girls’ parent.
Kelowna RCMP was unavailable for comment, but a report to city council confirms youth-related bear spray incidents have increased from six per cent in 2019 to 19.2 per cent.
The report urges council to adopt a bylaw that would restrict the sale of bear spray to anyone under 18 years old.
“Our goal right now is to make sure justice is brought to our girls, anything that comes from it is a bonus for us,” said Tanisha, another parent.
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