With his family’s permission, police have identified yesterday’s stabbing victim as 39-year-old Jeffery Drysdale.
A 24-year-old man has been arrested for what police described as a “violent attack” in a release and has now been charged with first degree murder, assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
The initial media release by Greater Sudbury Police Service had indicated a second-degree murder charge.
The suspect is set to appear in bail court today to answer to his charges and he cannot be named at this time as the information has not been sworn to through the court process.
As previously reported, officers arrived on scene and located a man who had sustained serious injuries and required immediate medical attention. The man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced deceased by medical professionals.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident just before 2 p.m.
With yesterday’s incident taking place just before 12:30 p.m. in the city’s downtown area, by Lisgar Street and Larch Street, police clarified in a media release today that “neither of the involved individuals are part of the homeless population and there is no evidence to suggest that they are tied to those living in Memorial Park.”
Police also indicated that they’ve been working to address concerns about public safety and visibility of crime in the city’s downtown core.
“We continue to exercise our enforcement capabilities in circumstances where it is appropriate to do so, particularly in the area of illicit drug dealing and violent crimes,” according to their media release. “Daily, officers are assigned to the downtown area to conduct Focused Patrols. From January to December, Officers have conducted over 1,000 Focused Patrols on foot, bike or in a cruiser.”
In addition to determining crime and enforcement, they note that focused patrols are also a means of outreach to the city’s vulnerable population.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to call police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-8477.
