Constable Martin Cromwell of the Halifax Regional Police force speaks to reporters in Halifax on Feb. 24.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
A 19-year-old woman has been charged with attempted murder after a six-year-old boy was stabbed multiple times in an unprovoked attack while he stood with his parents at a bus stop in downtown Halifax on Sunday afternoon.
The boy, whose identity is protected by a publication ban issued by a judge Monday, remains in hospital with what police have described as life-threatening injuries.
Elliott Chorny, the alleged attacker, was arrested at the scene within minutes of police receiving a call from bystanders about the boy who was bleeding from multiple stab wounds.
Ms. Chorny, of no fixed address, appeared in Halifax provincial court Monday afternoon to face charges of attempted murder and possession of a dangerous weapon. Frail with brown bobbed hair and wearing grey sweats, she appeared inattentive and at times put her hands on her face during the short appearance. She was remanded to custody until her next court date next month.
Halifax Regional Police spokesman Constable Martin Cromwell told reporters Monday there’s no evidence to suggest Ms. Chorny knew the child, nor is there evidence that it was a hate crime.
“It’s an extremely tragic incident,” Constable Cromwell said. “There’s no evidence to support that the parties are known to each other.”
The Halifax stabbing follows a spate of high-profile violent attacks on strangers in other Canadian cities.
Earlier this month, a man was sentenced for second-degree murder in relation to the random fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes at Keele subway station in Toronto nearly two years ago.
In Vancouver in September, Brendan Colin McBride was charged with aggravated assault and second-degree murder for a pair of unprovoked attacks that left one man dead and another with a severed hand.
On Monday, Constable Cromwell said the Halifax boy was with his parents when he was attacked, but declined to answer questions about how they reacted, saying that’s part of the investigation.
When asked whether taking your children downtown on a Sunday afternoon in Halifax is a safe activity, he said, “Well, I mean in any given day, parents should stay close with their child.”
Ms. Chorney is known to police, Constable Cromwell said, though he declined to elaborate. Court records obtained by The Globe show that she had been arrested four days earlier for an assault against a woman that is alleged to have occurred in Halifax in late January.
Monday’s incident sent shockwaves through the city with many wondering how such violence could happen on a sunny Sunday afternoon near the core of Halifax’s busy downtown – especially against a small child.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston spoke about the incident on social media on Sunday, calling for the assailant to be held in custody for the protection of society.
“I struggle to fully express my outrage and sadness at learning about this attack on an innocent child in Halifax,” he wrote on X, adding that his thoughts are with the victim and his family. “The person who did this is clearly a threat to the public and should be kept locked behind bars.”
Court documents list Ms. Chorny as having no fixed address, but Constable Cromwell refused to say whether she is unhoused.
Police also refused to provide other details, including what happened in the moments leading up to the stabbing or whether the family was waiting for the bus when the assault took place. Police are asking any potential witnesses to come forward.