Police plead for calm amid 'harmful online rhetoric' following stabbing death of boy, 15

An uptick in what Vancouver police refer to asharmful online rhetoric has prompted a plea for calm following the stabbing death of a teenaged boy on the weekend.

In a statementTuesday, police saidsocial media postshavemistakenly identified someteens who were not involved in Saturday's incident.

"We are alarmed by some of the social media chatter that has misidentified some teens as being involved in this incident, and inappropriatelysingled out others for retribution," wrote Sgt. Steve Addison.

"Tensions and emotions are running high, and we're very worried this could lead to more conflict amongst youth."

The boy, 15, died Sunday afternoon in B.C. Children's Hospital, 24 hours after being stabbed in the chest during an altercation between two groups of youths at Almond Park in the city's Dunbar neighbourhood.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in connection with the homicide.

The VPD's Major Crime Section iscontinuing the investigation as the police department stations additional officers in the area,the statement said.

"We're pleading with teens to take a deep breath and to stay calm, and we ask parents to speak to their kids about what they're posting on social media, so we can avoid any other serious incidents."