What was supposed to be a family-friendly event to celebrate Canada Day turned violent as Halifax police responded to a stabbing and shooting close to where thousands of people were enjoying a concert and fireworks.
A 19-year-old man is facing charges in connection with the stabbing in Dartmouth Tuesday evening.
Police responded to the playground area behind Alderney Landing, where thousands of people were attending a concert for Canada Day, before 9:30 p.m.
“We heard a scruff over there,” says Annie Peters, who was in the area at the time.
“A bunch of kids, I think there was two or three of them arguing about something. We weren’t sure what was going on and we just stayed clear because someone said there was a weapon involved.”
Police say the victim, a 19-year-old Dartmouth man, suffered two stab wounds to the abdomen.
He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre for treatment and has since been released.
Police say a suspect was arrested nearby about 10 minutes after the stabbing.
Nicholas Daniel Gaetz is facing charges of assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating a shooting that took place at Alderney Landing Tuesday evening.
Police officers were working in the area around 10 p.m. when a young man with a gunshot wound was brought to their attention.
“An 18-year-old man brought himself, with friends, to officers working at the Alderney Terminal,” says Const. Pierre Bourdages. “We don’t believe the shooting occurred at the site itself.”
He was taken to hospital for treatment.
Police say the alleged victim is not cooperating with investigators and they haven’t ruled out that the gunshot wound may have been self-inflicted.
Despite the violence, the city says its Canada Day celebrations were a big success.
“Inside the concert site itself we had huge crowds, very well attended, and no incidents reported to us on the concert grounds, so we’re very happy about that,” says city spokesperson Jennifer Stairs.
Tuesday’s event was the largest Canada Day celebration to take place at Alderney Landing, with upwards of 10,000 people at the concert and thousands spilling into the street.
Perry Morris watched the commotion from a patio at a local bar.
“There was a couple incidents here and over here at the Landing, but it didn’t take place long,” says Morris. “They broke up very quickly. The cops showed up very fast.”
Stairs says the city will review the event to see if anything could have been done differently.
“We work with Halifax Regional Police going into these events,” says Stairs. “There’s an event plan put together and police will consult and let us know how many officers would be appropriate to have at a particular event.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman
