Three men are in hospital after a series of possibly unrelated stabbings on the Downtown Eastside Tuesday and overnight.
“We are still reviewing evidence to determine if these three incidents are connected,” Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement Oct. 6.
“As disturbing it is to know that these serious crimes occurred back-to-back, we do not believe there is any threat to the public at this time.”
Police say the first incident happened at 1 p.m. when a man was stabbed in the back at a social housing complex near Powell and Dunlevy streets. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but is expected to survive. Police found a 27-year-old man, who they believed to be the suspect, suffering from a fentanyl overdose inside the apartment building. That man was taken to hospital, as well. Police say charges are expected.
A second man, 55 years old, was stabbed in the neck, face and shoulder near East Hastings and Columbia Street around 1:15 a.m. He remains in hospital in stable condition. A suspect remains at large in this incident.
The third man, 28 years old, was stabbed in the arm, ribs and buttocks near Water and Carrall streets at 2:30 a.m. He is in hospital with serious injuries, police said. No arrests have been made in connection to this incident.
Visintin said all three investigations were in their early stages and the motives were unknown.
“So I can’t really speculate, throughout the whole city we are noticing there’s an uptick in violent offences,” she said. “To say there was a trend, well last night there were three stabbings alone which in itself is a trend. It’s not a trend we like to see, it’s very concerning for us.”
Anyone with information pertaining to the stabbings is asked to call Vancouver Police.
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here.
