Man stabbed at Burnaby’s Central Park; people have mixed feelings about safety

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove a 13-year-old victim’s name, which is now covered by a publication ban.

BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – Less than two weeks after a beating that left an elderly man with life-altering injuries, another person has been hurt at Burnaby’s Central Park.

RCMP say officers were called to the park near the Patterson SkyTrain station at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday. They found a man who had been stabbed.

That man has been taken to the hospital, but there’s no word on his condition.

RCMP believe this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public.

Mounties have not shared any details about what may have happened before the stabbing, but have released two suspect descriptions.

The first man is described as First Nations in his early to mid-40s who is about 6’0″ with a slim build. That man was wearing a red shirt and blue pants.

The second suspect is described as a white man, also in his early to mid-40s and who also has a slim build. That man was wearing a white shirt and blue shorts.

Anyone with information is asked to call Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Mixed feelings about safety

On July 16 at Central Park, a 73-year-old man was beaten so badly, he may be left paralyzed. That incident also happened along the east side of the park. Police shared a description of a teenage boy as a person of interest in that case.

A steady flow of walkers, joggers and cyclists make their way past yellow police tape today, on their way into the park next to the Patterson SkyTrain station.

Sue says she takes her golden retriever for walks every day through the park and say safety is all about timing.

“I feel I’m relatively safe. But I think I also come at a time of day when it’s not risky. I think incidents that have happened have been later in the day or into the evening.”

But Mischa, who grew up in the area feels differently, especially since a 13-year-old was killed at the park last year. “I have a couple of kids and we frequently walk around the park. It doesn’t seem very safe anymore.”

On July 19, 2017, Shen’s body was found in a wooded area of Central Park. IHIT says investigators have watched thousands of hours of surveillance video, taken hundreds of tips and conducted over 600 interviews — but have not made any arrests.

Mischa says if things get worse, he may consider moving.