Officials were reassuring residents that B.C.含羞草研究社檚 biggest city is safe after a pair of 含羞草研究社渦nprovoked stranger assaults含羞草研究社� in downtown Vancouver that left one man dead and another with a severed hand on Wednesday morning

含羞草研究社淚 know that many people in our city and beyond are troubled by what has happened today,含羞草研究社� Chief Const. Adam Palmer told a news conference with Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.

Palmer said such crimes 含羞草研究社渃ause everyone to fear for their safety,含羞草研究社� but while it was disturbing, such incidents were rare and crime was trending down in the city.

含羞草研究社淰ancouver is not dying, Vancouver is not dead,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淰ancouver含羞草研究社檚 not unsafe. That含羞草研究社檚 all hyperbole, and it含羞草研究社檚 not actually factual. (In) any big city in Canada or North America, there will be shootings and stabbings and acts of violence, and this will not be the last one.

含羞草研究社淣o city in North America could ever purport to not have any more crimes. So there will be more violent crime that happens in the city the size of Vancouver,含羞草研究社� he added.

The gruesome incidents triggered a heavy police presence in downtown Vancouver during the morning rush hour.

A white evidence tent had covered a corner of the plaza in front of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, with the entire square cordoned off and several police vehicles in attendance, while a section of Homer Street was also blocked.

Police tape surrounded a large pool of blood on Homer Street across from the CityMarket grocery store, with a bloody white towel on the ground.

Palmer said the suspect, who had a 含羞草研究社渓engthy history of mental health related incidents,含羞草研究社� was tracked down with the help of a police drone operator and arrested at Habitat Island, near the Olympic Village.

He said the 56-year-old victim whose hand was cut off was expected to survive, while police were in trying to identify the man killed near the theatre, who was believed to be about 70 years old.

The suspect was on probation for a 2023 assault and had 60 previous police interactions, Vancouver含羞草研究社檚 police chief said.

Palmer said the 含羞草研究社渧ery troubled含羞草研究社� suspect, who was arrested less than two hours later, was a 34-year-old White Rock man, and police were looking into whether mental health was a factor in the 含羞草研究社渉orrific含羞草研究社� attacks.

The police chief said he didn含羞草研究社檛 believe the suspect was breaching his 含羞草研究社渓ight含羞草研究社� probation conditions by being in Vancouver, and that police believed the early morning attacks were completely random.

Palmer said he had 含羞草研究社渟erious concerns含羞草研究社� that earlier charges for violent crimes had been stayed against the suspect, who he said had a history of assaulting police officers and health care workers.

Palmer said the 含羞草研究社渞evolving door of justice含羞草研究社� needed to stop, and suspects charged with serious crimes should be kept in custody.

含羞草研究社淲e also need more mental health supports in (the) community. We need more addiction supports in (the) community, and we need more help dealing with the upstream drivers so that these folks are not coming into contact with police at the tail end of the equation,含羞草研究社� he said.

He said he was not naming the suspect because charges had yet to be laid.

Sim called the attacks 含羞草研究社渢ragic and deeply unsettling,含羞草研究社� while B.C. Premier David Eby said at an unrelated event that it was 含羞草研究社渁 disheartening moment.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淲e make so much progress on driving down stranger attacks and reducing violent offences in our province and then something like this happens and it shakes people含羞草研究社檚 confidence again in a really profound way, and understandably,含羞草研究社� Eby said.

Eby said he was being kept up to date on the case by Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.

Police said in a news release that officers responded to a call at 7:38 a.m. about a man who had been attacked near Cathedral Square, at Richards and Dunsmuir streets.

They said they found a man with a severed hand who had been attacked with a knife and was also bleeding from the head.

Officers said that eight minutes later there was a call about an attack on a second man at nearby West Georgia and Hamilton streets, where the theatre is located, and despite efforts to save his life, the victim died at the scene.

Palmer declined to describe the dead man含羞草研究社檚 injuries.

Just after 9 a.m. the suspect was located on Habitat Island, after reports 含羞草研究社渢hat a man behaving erratically had approached a stranger and began yelling at him.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 applaud the witnesses who called police immediately and provided timely information,含羞草研究社� Palmer said in the statement. 含羞草研究社淚 am also extremely proud of the brave VPD officers who responded quickly to tend to the victims, to gather evidence, to arrest the suspect, and to stop this imminent public safety threat.含羞草研究社�

Palmer said although 含羞草研究社渋t 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.含羞草研究社�

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