A fatal stabbing at the Metrotown mall in Burnaby was not a random incident and the arrest of a suspect in the case means there’s “no further risks to the public,” according to homicide investigators.
Emergency crews were called to a parkade near the Metropolis at Metrotown Walmart at around 11:40 a.m. Sunday for reports of a person who had been stabbed, according to police.
Once on scene, RCMP officers located a person who had suffered life-threatening stab wounds outside an elevator in the parkade structure.
Despite lifesaving measures, the victim succumbed to their injuries, according to police
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has since taken over the case.
On Monday, IHIT said there had been “several reports of other serious offences occurring in the area” around the time of the stabbing, but no one else was injured in those incidents.
A man in his 30s was arrested Sunday after a “brief search” in the Metrotown area, according to IHIT.
He was reported to have been running around the Metrotown area, police said.
The homicide team confirmed the suspect and victim are known to each other and the stabbing was not a random incident.
“We are piecing together a timeline and confirming the information available to us,” IHIT media spokesperson Sgt. David Lee said in a news release. “The public can be assured that this is an isolated incident and it is safe to go about their activities in Burnaby.”
Lee said no information about the suspect or victim is being released at this time.
IHIT is now asking for help from the public.
If you were in the Metrotown area between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday and saw anything suspicious, contact IHIT.
Anyone with information, dashcam video or surveillance video is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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