A 16-year-old has been arrested and charged with second degree murder for the 2021 death of Clifton Johnston in Port Alberni.

The body of 20-year-old Johnston was found in the grass in front of the Port Alberni Friendship Centre on Fourth Avenue early in the morning of March 27, 2021. He had suffered numerous stab wounds to his chest and succumbed to his injuries.

An arrest warrant was issued on Jan. 19, 2022, and the 16-year-old suspect was arrested the next day.

According to Port Alberni RCMP, investigators have been working on the incident 鈥渃ontinuously鈥� for nearly 10 months, awaiting forensic laboratory results. The investigation is still ongoing.

鈥淭his result couldn鈥檛 have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of the Port Alberni general investigations section, forensic identification section, crime reduction unit, other supporting investigators and the community,鈥� said Insp. Eric Rochette, the Port Alberni RCMP Officer in Charge.

The name of the accused will not be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.