Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 48-year-old woman, who police said was stabbed early Thursday morning near a homeless shelter in downtown Edmonton.
Edmonton police were called to the George Spady Centre at 100 Street and 105A Avenue around 7:15 a.m, where the alley was blocked off with police tape.
When police arrived, an injured woman was lying on the ground. She was taken to hospital by paramedics where she was pronounced dead.
WATCH BELOW: Homicide detectives are investigating a suspicious death that occurred in the area of 100 Street and 105A Avenue early Thursday morning. Here is a look at the scene from the Global 1 news helicopter just before 7:30 a.m.
On Friday, police said autopsy results revealed the woman died of stab wounds and that she was the victim of a homicide. They said her name wouldn’t be released because doing so would not serve an investigative purpose.
A spokesperson for Boyle Street Community Services, which works with homeless people in central Edmonton, said someone was stabbed outside their facility on Thursday evening. The extent of their injuries was not known. He said both stabbing victims were well-known to the organization and had an “extended street family” who are now trying to cope with what happened.
The spokesperson described both stabbings as random, however, police have not confirmed that. He said supports have been brought in to help staff and clients deal with what happened.
Thursday morning’s stabbing marks the third suspicious death Edmonton police have been called to investigate in less than a week.
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On March 22, a 35-year-old man was fatally stabbed at a townhouse complex in Mill Woods, and early Sunday morning a 26-year-old man was shot to death at a bar near Whyte Avenue.
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The George Spady Centre is an overnight and detoxification shelter for men and women in Edmonton’s Chinatown area. It is also home to one of the city’s supervised consumption sites.
Police did not release any information on a suspect.
Anyone with information about the stabbing or the events leading up to it is asked to contact the Edmonton Police Service at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
–With files from Global News’ Phil Heidenreich
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