Stabbing on Granville Street leaves 1 person dead: Vancouver police
Posted August 4, 2023 6:31 am.
Last Updated August 4, 2023 3:51 pm.
An early morning stabbing Friday in Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District has left one person dead.
According to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), officers were called to the area of Granville and Smithe streets just before 3:30 a.m. for reports that a man had been stabbed.
Despite being taken to the hospital, the 32-year-old died of his injuries.
“At this point we don’t have very much information. We actually don’t even have any witnesses, so we’re reaching out to the public. Anyone with information, anyone who was in the area at the time that this happened, we ask that they call our investigators,” Const. Tania Visintin said.
Vancouver police say one person is dead after a stabbing in the Granville Entertainment District in the early morning of Aug. 4, 2023. (Courtesy City of Vancouver)
She says security footage will “play a huge role” in this investigation, as will witnesses.
“Even though it was during the week, we know that there were people out. It was just after closing time of the clubs that are in the area, and it is a summer night. There’s also a lot of rooming homes in that area, so we do know that there are people out there. We can’t say that this is connected to any of the clubs on Granville, though, that we don’t know. But it’s all going to be part of the investigation at this point,” Visintin explained.
“I can appreciate that this type of incident will spark fear in the community, but that’s not what we’re trying to do. The sole purpose of this message is to ask anyone for information. This isn’t something that happens all the time or happens to everyone that goes out on Granville.”
One person is dead after a stabbing in the area of Granville and Smithe streets early in the morning of Aug. 4, 2023. (CityNews Image)
With Pride and the B.C. Day long weekend expected to bring many people to the downtown Vancouver area, Visintin says there will be more officers deployed.
Initially, police said they were investigating a “serious assault.” The incident forced the closure of Granville Street between Smithe and Nelson streets for several hours.
The VPD says this marks the city’s 11th homicide of 2023.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about what happened to contact the VPD’s Homicide Unit at 604-717-2500.
