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

Trudeau outlines details of $30B, 10-year fund for public transit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says applications are now open for a national transit fund that will include money for existing transit systems so they can expand, improve and modernize. The $30-billion, 10-year Canada Public Transit Fund has been in the works for months and was in the recent federal budget.

Trudeau outlines details of $30B, 10-year fund for public transit

Man dies in Abbotsford prison

A man serving a second-degree murder sentence has died in an Abbotsford prison. Correctional Service of Canada says in a statement that Eugene Raymond Benoit died while in custody at the Abbotsford Regional Treatment Centre.

Man dies in Abbotsford prison

Lack of teamwork with Feds: Eby

Premier David Eby says working with the federal government can sometimes feel like beating his head against a wall. Eby is in Halifax for a meeting of Canada's premiers, where he told a news conference that he's disappointed in the lack of teamwork with Ottawa.

Lack of teamwork with Feds: Eby

Man in hospital in Nanaimo stabbing

A 52-year-old Nanaimo man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after an early morning stabbing last Friday. R-C-M-P say it happened along Fitzwilliam Street in downtown Nanaimo, and the victim was not co-operative with investigators.

Man in hospital in Nanaimo stabbing

B.C. caps international post-secondary student enrolment at 30 per cent of total

In a statement, the provincial Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills says the new limit is meant to make sure that "international student enrolment doesn't strain an institution's ability "to provide appropriate services."

B.C. caps international post-secondary student enrolment at 30 per cent of total

Torrential rain causes major flooding in Toronto, parts of GTA

The rest of the Greater Toronto Area, which was also hit by intense downpours, similarly saw flooding disrupt parts of many communities, with portions of highways awash with water and many cars abandoned.