National

Suspect in deadly Vancouver stranger attacks was on probation: VPD chief

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Sep, 2024 02:10 PM

Vancouver's police chief says the suspect in a pair of "unprovoked stranger attacks" in the city's downtown that left one man dead and another with a severed hand was on probation for a 2023 assault and had more than 60 previous police interactions.

Chief Constable Adam Palmer says the suspect, a 34-year-old White Rock man, appears to be "very troubled" and police are looking into whether mental health was a factor in this morning's "horrific" attacks.

He says the man, who had a history of assaulting police and social workers, was tracked down with the help of a drone and arrested at Habitat Island, near the Olympic Village.

Today, a tragic and deeply unsettling incident occurred – a random stranger attack that claimed the life of one person and left another with life-altering injuries. On behalf of all Vancouverites, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the affected families.

Every single person… pic.twitter.com/dDnQrQ0HM0
— Mayor Ken Sim (@KenSimCity) September 4, 2024

Palmer says the 56-year-old victim whose hand was cut off is expected to survive, while police are in the process of identifying the man who was killed near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre and was aged about 70.

The police chief, speaking at a news conference with Mayor Ken Sim, says he doesn't believe the suspect was breaching his "light" probation conditions by being in Vancouver.

He said police believed the early morning attacks were "completely random."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Snow and cold in Metro Vancouver wreaks havoc on the roads

An abrupt snowfall in Metro Vancouver resulted in snarled traffic and set off numerous crashes on major routes. Environment Canada says the area received about 3 centimetres of snow Thursday, which combined with freezing temperatures to create icy roads throughout the region.

Snow and cold in Metro Vancouver wreaks havoc on the roads

Canadians helped plan U.S., U.K. attacks on Houthis in Yemen: Defence Department

The Defence Department says Canadian Armed Forces members provided planning support for the U.S.-led attack on Houthi positions in Yemen Thursday but no Canadian equipment was involved. Three staff officers were deployed in December to the multinational operation in the Red Sea aimed at deterring Houthi blockades of the key shipping route.

Canadians helped plan U.S., U.K. attacks on Houthis in Yemen: Defence Department

Housing crunch prompts efforts to stabilize immigration levels, say federal ministers

Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Immigration Minister Marc Miller say the federal government is working to stabilize the number of people entering the country every year as housing pressures mount. The federal government ultimately decided to increase the number of permanent residents Canada welcomes each year to 500,000 in 2025 — nearly double the amount from 2015.

Housing crunch prompts efforts to stabilize immigration levels, say federal ministers

Truck hits roof of Massey Tunnel

Mounties in Richmond are investigating after a witness said she saw a truck hit the roof of the Massey Tunnel Wednesday night. Police say the witness told them she was driving behind the truck when it hit and came to a stop inside of the tunnel before continuing through.

Truck hits roof of Massey Tunnel

Canada embarks on preclearance pilot project on U.S. side of Quebec/N.Y. land border

The Canada Border Services Agency hopes to launch the two-year project later this year to determine whether similar setups could replace smaller, aging facilities on the Canadian side of the border. The project carries a price tag of $7.4 million, money that was allocated in the 2021 federal budget.

Canada embarks on preclearance pilot project on U.S. side of Quebec/N.Y. land border

Income gap between new immigrants and all Canadians shrunk by half in four years: PBO

A new report from the parliamentary budget officer finds the gap between the average incomes of new immigrants and all tax filers has narrowed significantly. The report finds the median income of new immigrants was about 78 per cent of the median income made by all tax filers in 2018, compared with 55 per cent in 2014.