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“He seemed nice. He was a funny guy,” she said. “He doesn’t seem like a person who would’ve done something like this. He was always very nice, polite and quiet.”

She said her classmates at St. Pius X High School were “pretty shaken up.”

Danny Volpi, father of the student who was killed, said it was “good news” that police had come out with a warrant.

“We’re slowly approaching the end of this horrifying incident. However, there’s more than one person involved and there’s a lot to factor in here,” he said. “We don’t know if this individual did it or if he’s taking a rap for one of the other guys that did it.

“I know there was a confrontation with some guy at school who stole some stuff from him. I don’t know if this was the same guy. I don’t think so. It could’ve been a friend of the guy, someone taking revenge on my son. That could be an issue, too. But who knows? There’s a lot of speculation.”

Police were called to the downtown hotel, just steps from the ByWard Market’s bars and late-night eateries, around 3:30 a.m. Saturday for reports of a stabbing.

Volpi, 18, later died in hospital, hours after attending his high school prom at the National Arts Centre with his graduating class. The students of St. Patrick’s High School were holding their prom after-party at the hotel, along with students from other high schools, including St. Pius.

The warrant for Hackett’s arrest came after police obtained surveillance video showing the attack on Volpi. The video led to identification of persons of interest, one of whom is Hackett.