Vancouver’s chief of police says the city’s collective sense of safety has been shaken after one man was killed and another was seriously injured in what police say were two unprovoked, random attacks in the city’s downtown early Wednesday.
“Attacks like these shake our collective sense of comfort and safety, and we’re grateful that a suspect was quickly taken into custody by our officers,” said Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Chief Const. Adam Palmer at a news conference from police headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.
Police said around 7:40 a.m. PT they received reports of a man who had been attacked near Cathedral Square, at Richards Street and Dunsmuir Street.
Officers found a man in his 50s who had been attacked with a knife, was bleeding from this head, and had one hand severed.
VPD said he was taken to hospital for emergency treatment and is expected to survive.
Less than 10 minutes later, officers were called to West Georgia Street and Hamilton Street after a second man was attacked outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
First responders were unable to save the man’s life. Police have not confirmed his age or identity, but Palmer said he appeared to be around 70 years old.
Palmer said investigators have confirmed the attacks were random and unprovoked.
“Although it will take time before we have all of the answers, it does not appear either victim knew the suspect, and we believe these attacks were completely random,” said Palmer.
At the news conference, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim sent condolences from the city to the victims and their families.
“It’s deeply disturbing that something like this can happen in our community,” Sim said.
Chief says suspect is ‘very troubled man’
Police said patrol officers were able to obtain images of a suspect and confirm the two attacks were linked.
Around 9 a.m. officers located the suspect on Habitat Island, near the Olympic Village, after receiving reports of a man behaving erratically and yelling at a stranger, police said.
The statement from VPD said the suspect, a 34-year-old White Rock resident, was taken into custody.
Palmer said investigators are working toward recommending “serious” charges to the B.C. Prosecution Service. Police are not naming the suspect because he has not yet been charged.
“This appears to be a very troubled man who has a lengthy history of mental health-related incidents, which have resulted in more than 60 documented contacts with police throughout Metro Vancouver.”
Palmer said the suspect has prior convictions for assault and, at the time of his arrest on Wednesday, was on probation in relation to an assault charge from 2023.
About 90 officers have been involved in Wednesday’s case since it unfolded, Palmer said.
Police are asking witnesses, or anyone with information who has not yet come forward, to call VPD Homicide at 604-717-2500.
‘We do live in a safe city’
Palmer acknowledged that random attacks such as this, which have happened before in Vancouver, while disturbing, are not common. He said overall crime, including stranger attacks, are down in Vancouver according to crime statistics.
“We do live in a safe city,” said Palmer.
He detailed increased capabilities VPD has added in recent years, including the hiring of more than 175 new police officers in the past two years.
Sim expressed frustration at the news conference over municipalities not having the resources to deal with what he called the root causes of violence, which are often unmet mental health needs.
“We need the province and the federal government to address these gaps,” he said.
Palmer agreed that supports are needed from other levels of government to make sure people are having their needs met.
“I think we have to realize that there’s too many unwell people walking around on our streets,” he said.
In August 2022, Vancouver’s then-mayor, Kennedy Stewart, made the same appeal to the province when four people were injured by a 48-year-old man wielding a machete.
Chief Constable Palmer is also calling on other levels of government to change Canada’s bail system to stop violent offenders from cycling in and out of the justice system and for a more stringent justice system where there are fewer charges involving violent offenders.
On Wednesday B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said on X that he’s been briefed on the incident and was “relieved” that a suspect had been taken into custody.
“Thank you to [VPD] officers for their quick action and we will provide any required resources toward this investigation,” he wrote.
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At an unrelated news conference, Premier David Eby said progress is being made on reducing the number of violent offences in the province, but said the attacks on Wednesday in Vancouver were “devastating.”
He promised that the province would look into the case and determine whether anything could have been done differently to have prevented it, vowing to ensure residents feel safe in their communities.
“We’ve got to find ways to do even more.”
Meanwhile B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad, who is running against the David Eby in the next provincial election on Oct. 19, criticized the NDP’s record on public safety in a statement following Wednesday’s attacks.
“The BC NDP has prioritized the rights of criminals over the safety of our citizens, and it’s the people of British Columbia who are paying the price,” he said.