A recent fatal stabbing at the Metropolis at Metrotown shopping 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.
But for Metrotown residents rattled by the very public murder – carried out in daylight during a busy Christmas shopping day – that doesn’t make them feel any safer.
“This is a very extreme case but it’s just part of a growing feeling that the Metrotown area isn’t safe,” said Terence, who didn’t want his full name used. “I don’t drive because the area is walkable and it’s close to the SkyTrain. So I am on foot all the time and the stuff I see most days is really unsettling. I see fights and people yelling nearly every day. We need a bigger police presence here so area residents can feel safer.”
The NOW wrote about another resident in 2020 who said Metrotown was getting more and more unsafe after he had a cup of hot coffee poured over his head by a random stranger.
Other residents contacted the NOW in the wake of Sunday’s killing to say they are not all surprised.
“I won’t walk around her at night and that’s tough because it gets dark at 4 p.m. right now,” said Sara. “The streets have gone mad. I see public drinking of booze and people doing drugs out in the open. Others are just staggering around high, which would be fine if they left people alone but I’ve been harassed a bunch of times.”
Metrotown consistently has the most incidents of break-in crimes, especially vehicles having their windows broken and items stolen.
“We need more action by the city and police,” Sara said. “This stabbing is just part of the problems here.”
Emergency crews were called to a parkade near the Metropolis at Metrotown Walmart on 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 life-saving 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.
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].
- With files from Cornelia Naylor
