Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Ex-B.C. police chief to investigate release of suspect before Chinatown stabbing

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 14 Sep, 2023 04:20 PM
  • Ex-B.C. police chief to investigate release of suspect before Chinatown stabbing

Former Abbotsford police chief Bob Rich has been appointed to look into the release of a man from British Columbia's psychiatric hospital before the man allegedly stabbed three people in Vancouver's Chinatown. 

Premier David Eby said Thursday that he has read the BC Review Board report on the accused and wants Rich to determine how the man could have been released, despite being a "really significant danger to the public." 

"At the end of the day, the core question of how a violent, psychotic individual was released into the community to attack innocent people is the question that needs to be answered," he said during a news conference on a separate issue in Langley, B.C. 

Sixty-four-year-old Blair Donnelly has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault and remains in custody after Sunday's attack at the Light Up Chinatown! festival. 

Donnelly stabbed his teenage daughter Stephanie to death in 2006. He was found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder and sent to B.C.'s Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.

Eby said the review board report clearly concluded the man was a significant risk and shouldn't be let out, but somehow between that decision and the attack in Chinatown, he was given day release from the facility.  

The premier said he wants Rich to also find out if there are other people under similar circumstances who may also be out on day passes from the hospital. 

"Which is a very disturbing question to ask, but a necessary one to ask, given the unthinkable happened in this case already."

A copy of the review board decision was leaked to media, including CHEK News and CityNews. It says Donnelly remained a “significant threat” to the public.

The decision says that since being originally detained at the hospital, Donnelly had stabbed a friend while on day release in 2009 after they consumed cocaine together for several hours. He was convicted of assault.

Then, in 2017, it says Donnelly attacked a fellow patient at the hospital with a butter knife and was found not criminally responsible for the assault.

The April 2023 decision posted online by CHEK says Donnelly required “significant supervision to ensure he does not cause further harm to the public.”

However, the decision added that "reintegration" of Donnelly "could reasonably occur" within eight months of the decision.

Eby said Rich will also have the opportunity to look at why the public didn't have the information about the review board's case, which he said is also troubling. 

"But it, to be honest, pales in comparison to how disturbed I am that this man was released and unaccompanied and in our community." 

The premier said he has confidence in Rich's ability, and the terms of reference for the work is being sorted out now and they'll ensure he has the authority and the staff to "dig into this."

The review board said in an email that parties to the April decision were being given until Friday to apply for it to be withheld from the media.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Hiker dies in West Vancouver

Hiker dies in West Vancouver
A hiker has died after plunging more than 60 metres from a path in Cypress Creek Canyon in West Vancouver. Police say the man -- in his 70s -- was hiking with a large group when he fell.

Hiker dies in West Vancouver

B.C. cargo flow should be back to normal in days after port strike, says researcher

B.C. cargo flow should be back to normal in days after port strike, says researcher
The union, which represents 7,400 workers in the job action that began July 1, has not yet commented on the pact. Federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan said Thursday that the strike that had snarled trade worth billions was over and thanked both sides.  

B.C. cargo flow should be back to normal in days after port strike, says researcher

19-year-old firefighter who died in B.C. is identified by her brother

19-year-old firefighter who died in B.C. is identified by her brother
The firefighter was working on brush-clearing in a remote area where a fire had started. Her team found her pinned under a fallen tree and began first aid, but she succumbed to her injuries after being airlifted to a hospital in Revelstoke.  

19-year-old firefighter who died in B.C. is identified by her brother

Mission stabbing victim dies of his injuries

Mission stabbing victim dies of his injuries
On Thursday, at 6:13 p.m., the Mission RCMP were called to the area of the 32500-block of Lougheed Highway. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 42-year old man, suffering from a stab wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital, where sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.  

Mission stabbing victim dies of his injuries

Sextortion on the rise in Kelowna

Sextortion on the rise in Kelowna
Mounties in Kelowna are warning about an increase of so-called sextortion targeting boys between the ages of 14 and 17. They say the victims often receive friend requests through popular social media sites, and engage in flirtatious conversations.  

Sextortion on the rise in Kelowna

Unprovoked stabbing lands tourist in hospital

Unprovoked stabbing lands tourist in hospital
The victim, a 28-year-old visitor from New Zealand, was allegedly stabbed from behind by a man not known to him, on the corner of Nelson and Granville just before 8 p.m. He took himself to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Unprovoked stabbing lands tourist in hospital