Updated August 21, 2024 @ 5:20pm
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall says his thoughts are with the young boy and his family after a 14-year-old was stabbed at Sunnidale Park late Tuesday afternoon.
Police have said the incident, which occurred near the Sunnidale Dog Park, just off Coulter Street, was unprovoked.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Nuttall said he met with the family of the victim and they are handling this as well as they can, given the circumstances.
"I have spoken with Barrie Police, and I want to assure all Barrie residents that their safety is Council's number one priority." stated the mayor. " I, like many, want answers to how this could happen and why."
Police have said the boy was taken to a Toronto hospital for treatment of a stab wound that is non-life threatning.
"He was with a friend at the time he was stabbed," said Peter Leon, Barrie Police communications coordinator. "It was the friend who was able to provide first aid to him until emergency services personnel could arrive and provide continued assistance."
An extensive canvass of the 48-acre park was done by police, including the use of the canine unit and a drone, and they were unable to locate the suspect.
While police have said this was an isolated incident, on social media there have been concerns expressed by some people regarding their own safety at Sunnidale Park.
"We do believe that this is an isolated occurrence and that there was nothing that took place prior to this. But again, our investigation is still very much in the early stages, so if there was a previous interaction with the victim and the person responsible, we're not aware of it at this time," Leon told Barrie 360 on Wednesday afternoon.
Detectives have not had an opportunity to talk to the victim.
"It's regrettable this incident occurred yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, but people need to be vigilant at all times, be aware of their surroundings and be aware of people who may be around them."
The suspect is described as:
- male white, 30-35 years old, 5’6 -5’9, medium build, brown eyes, brown hair (grown out buzzcut)
- wearing a baseball hat, white collared button up shirt and a brown suit vest.
