While walking home from his birthday celebrations, a London man's life was taken downtown.
Police responded to a report of an altercation in the area of Richmond St. and Piccadilly St. on Saturday at 2:30am.
“Investigators have learned that the victim and a male became involved in a physical altercation near the corner of Richmond Street and Piccadilly Street, during which time the victim sustained serious injuries which resulted in his death,” police said in a statement released Saturday.
According to police, the suspect got into a white car and drove off before officers could arrive.
London police say the victim has been identified as 27-year-old Dereck Szaflarski of London.
Breana Bielak says she was close friends with Szaflarski for the past three years.
Breana Bielak and Dereck Szaflarski. (Photo courtesy of Breana Bielak).
"He was basically family to me. We loved and cared about each other a lot and we're together a lot," she says.
Bielak says her heart sank when she found out her friend had been murdered.
"I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it," says Bielak. "It was completely heart breaking that he was taken from us so young."
Bielak says Szaflarski's birthday was on Friday, May 25, just a day before his life was taken.
"He was out celebrating his birthday, walking home, and this is what happened," she says.
Bielak describes Szaflarski as a "social butterfly."
"He was always out making friends. Anywhere we went, he always knew someone," she says. "He was a loving person and had a lot of emotion. He was hilarious, a goofball, strong...just an amazing man."
Bielak says Szaflarski recently got a job at GoodLife Fitness in February as a personal trainer. She says he loved his job and helping others.
Bielak says she believes it was probably just a random act of violence.
"Dereck is very protective and can be aggressive sometimes, so I'm pretty sure there was some type of altercation and mouth running. Dereck is a pretty strong guy and one thing lead to another and now he's gone," she says.
London police want to speak with the person seen in this image, taken by a security camera near the corner of Richmond St. and Piccadilly St., May 26, 2018. Photo provided by London Police Service.
Bielak says the police's picture of the suspect is no one she or her circle of friends has ever seen.
"It's a shame he was taken from this world so soon. He was doing amazing loving his job, he had so much love and life to live and now he's not able to give that back to the world," she says.
Bielak is currently fundraising for Szaflarski's funeral on GoFundMe.
"A lot of the costs we're trying to take care of so family doesn't have to worry about things, especially since they're from Michigan," says Bielak. "We're just trying to get all the support we can."
As of Sunday at 3pm, the page has raised $3,585 of $10,000 goal.
Bielak says it has been wonderful to see the community come together in a tragic moment like this.
London police are continuing to ask for the public's help to find the suspect and vehicle involved in the homicide investigation.
The suspect is described as a man with a brown or light-skinned black complexion, 6’0” or taller with a heavy build and possibly facial hair. He was wearing blue jeans, a dark T-shirt, black running shoes with white soles, and a camouflage-coloured Toronto Blue Jays hat.
A white, two-door vehicle is captured on security camera near the scene of a homicide in downtown London, May 26, 2018. Photo provided by London Police Service.
The vehicle is a white two-door, possibly a Nissan Altima, with a sun roof and tinted windows. There was at least one passenger in the vehicle during the altercation.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the London Police Service at (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent in on-line anonymously to www.londoncrimestoppers.com.