EBN- Canadian police say they have shot a suspect who stabbed people in the western Canadian city of Vancouver on Wednesday.
The stabbing took place near the main library in the downtown area of the city on the Pacific Coast, Vancouver police said in a post on the X platform.
Video showed police officers pointing their guns at a counter in a small grocery store and firing at least 10 times.
There were no immediate details available on the condition of the suspect or the stabbing victims.
A number of Canadian cities have seen a marked increase in gun violence in recent years, with shootings becoming increasingly frequent, according to the Canadian government.
For his part, Canadian Police Inspector Martin Groulx said, “We do not have any evidence to suggest that the shooting incident is a hate crime related to race or religious beliefs, but we are not ruling out this option.”
“One of the kitchen guys came out, asked if he could help him, and the guy grabbed the knife and asked him if he wanted to die,” said Kylie Noel, who was working at the Original Joe’s restaurant at Robson and Hamilton streets in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday.
Her co-worker then told her to call police.
Video later captured by Mainul Islam, a student and part-time food delivery worker, shows police pointing their guns over the counter of the 7-Eleven, shouting at someone to “move over,” then firing at least 10 times.
Islam said he had been picking up a food order when he saw a “homeless guy” trying to steal cigarettes behind the counter. He said staff were trying to stop the man.
“And he just brought out his knife from his pocket, and he tried to stab … the guy, but he ran away, and then he went to stab that lady. Maybe he already stabbed that lady in the back, I saw blood, but she was OK.”
He said the police were there within minutes and “just shot this guy.”
