A spilled beer during a concert in Dawson Creek last night reportedly resulted in a 28-year-old Fort St. John man being beaten to death and another recovering from injuries in the hospital.

The deceased was reportedly involved in an altercation at the Hedley concert, and was found lying unconscious on the floor of a washroom at the EnCana Events Centre by paramedics and security staff. The man was taken to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

"He and his friend were in attendance at the concert. As well, the three suspects that we have in custody are also from Fort St. John, though neither group is known to each other, and neither is known to police," said Cst. Lesley Smith, spokesperson for the North District RCMP.

"I understand that a beer was spilled, or knocked down by accident, and the two victims tried to walk away from the incident, but the three suspects assaulted them," she added. "The three suspects, who were influenced by alcohol, assaulted the two male victims, who initially had tried to walk away."

She said while the original location of the altercation is not known, it continued into one of the men's washrooms.

"It was in the washroom where it continued, that's where the victim was on the ground, and the assault became extremely serious," said Smith.

The assault continued until it was reportedly broken up by a civilian.

The deceased's friend was also assaulted, and was sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He has since been released, and is cooperating with the police investigation.

The three suspects were reportedly arrested later that night at a local bar, and remain in police custody pending Crown approval of charges. Police did not confirm the location where the suspects were arrested, but Louis Geldenhuys, owner of Mavericks Night Club, said the police did visit his establishment last night.

The concert continued after the assault took place, and Smith said that is not uncommon.

"At that stage, there wasn't a reason to close down the concert," she said. "Usually concerts are not closed because of an assault or fight that took place outside of the concert area."

She said once it was deemed a fatality, the North District Major Crime Unit and the Fort St. John Forensic Identification Unit became involved and attended the scene, but by that time the concert had already ended.

One concert-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, said while he has seen fights break out before at concerts, he knew right away that this incident was something more serious.

"As soon as I saw the police tape, I thought, it's more than just a fight, it's a crime scene. Right away, I thought, somebody has been stabbed or killed."

He said he saw a man in another washroom who had bruises and cuts on his face, but he said he is not sure if that man was the deceased's friend who was also assaulted.

"It looked like a friendly concert. It was nice and calm, and everybody was having a good time."

Ryan MacIvor, general manager of the EnCana Events Centre, did not comment when asked about security concerns at the facility, even though the issue of public safety has been brought forward to city council on at least once occasion previously.

"There was unfortunate incident at the venue last night," he said. "The incident is currently under investigation and we are fully cooperating with the RCMP, and will refrain from making any further comments until the RCMP has concluded its investigation."

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident, or could provide information to assist police with this investigation, are urged to contact the Dawson Creek RCMP at 250-784-3700, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

See complete story in tomorrow's Dawson Creek Daily News.