A three-year-old boy who was allegedly taken hostage by a knife-wielding man at a Vancouver community centre didn't cry during the eight-hour ordeal, though he did ask when he could see his mom and if he could go to the bathroom.
Police say the child was rescued seconds after his cheek was gashed by a large kitchen knife, an event that forced the toddler to undergo surgery and led to multiple charges for the accused.
At a news conference Wednesday, hours after the boy was released from hospital and went home with his family, officers raved about the child's composure.
"This boy and his family are our heroes today," said Constable Lindsey Houghton, spokesman for the Vancouver Police Department. "Over eight hours … I did not hear him whine or complain."
Meanwhile, city and provincial officials bickered over the level of support available for people suffering from mental illness. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said he would ask the B.C. government why the accused in the case was on the streets and able to walk into a community centre carrying a weapon.
Constable Houghton, a father of two young children himself, was at the scene as the hostage situation unfolded Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning. He said the three-year-old asked to see his mother, from whose arms he was allegedly snatched. The boy also said he needed to go to the bathroom and asked for food.
"He would talk to the man who was holding him, asking him different questions like, 'I'm cold, can I have a jacket?', 'When do I get to see my mommy or daddy?' For those of us who are parents, that's heart-wrenching stuff."
Constable Houghton said negotiations with the child's alleged captor broke down quickly as the man's "mental state deteriorated." Once police learned the boy's cheek had been cut, the constable said, they barged through the bathroom door the man had barricaded.
"It was less than five seconds, more like two or three," he said.
One officer grabbed the child, while others wrestled the suspect.
Kyle Hepworth Jackson, 24, is charged with taking a hostage, aggravated assault, unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon. Mr. Jackson is known to police for a "violent history," Constable Houghton said, though he declined to provide further details. He also wouldn't comment on Mr. Jackson's mental health.
Mr. Jackson was transported to hospital for treatment for minor facial injuries and made a court appearance Wednesday.
The boy's family did not comment on the incident and asked the media to respect its privacy.
Steve Bouchard, president of the Ray-Cam Co-operative Community Centre near the city's Downtown Eastside, said he came down to the centre during the crisis to urge police to let him switch places with the boy.
"In actuality, I came down here to make a deal. I came down to offer the negotiating team the option of switching me for the child," he said. "Let the child go back to his family and take me." Mr. Bouchard said police took his offer under advisement, but the switch was never attempted.
The centre, which offers recreational, educational and social programs for people of all ages and backgrounds, operated normally Wednesday, though a police officer remained inside the lobby area. Children shrieked excitedly near an area filled with billiards and Ping-Pong tables. A sign posted on a door declared the facility a "racism free zone."
The centre held a news conference to reassure parents the hostage-taking was an isolated incident.
Ariadne Armond, who brought her 11-year-old son to Ray-Cam to take part in an educational program, said she didn't have any plans to stop doing so. "I think Ray-Cam in no way should close the doors. They've been here 30 years, this is the first time," she said. "No one should be afraid."
Mr. Robertson issued a statement commending the police response to the incident and sending his best wishes to the family. But the mayor also said he planned to press B.C. government officials to find out why the incident occurred.
"The city will be asking provincial authorities for answers on why this man was out on the street," he said.
Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon criticized the mayor for rushing to judgment before all the facts are in. "We have to be careful not to cast aspersions on an individual's mental-health situation," he said.