A 16-year-old suspect has been charged with attempted murder after a 39-year-old woman was stabbed in Lacombe on Thursday morning.
The Lacombe Police Service was called at 8:20 a.m. and upon their arrival, they found a woman, who was stabbed in the neck, lying on the front lawn of a home in the Hearthstone neighbourhood of Lacombe.
The victim was immediately assisted by Lacombe EMS.
“Where she was found was not her residence and it is not where the stabbing occurred,” acting chief Sgt. Steve Murray said on Friday.
“She was still conscious when she was located and by then numerous bystanders were trying to render what aid they could,” he added.
Murray said that witnesses in the area provided a description of the suspect who was located by a Lacombe police officer approximately two blocks away from where the woman was found. The 16-year-old was found near a green space area, walking towards 63rd Avenue, Murray said.
“With the assistance of the Blackfalds RCMP, the area was secured and the knife used in the attack was located, along with a loaded firearm,” Murray outlined in a press release.
The Red Deer Forensic Identification Section also attended the scene.
The woman was taken to Red Deer Regional Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery and is currently in stable condition.
An investigation has revealed that the victim and the 16-year-old suspect are known to each other.
“Lacombe is a very safe community and this type of thing is so unusual for here. Certainly this is not a random attack,” Murray said.
Along with attempted murder, the suspect, who cannot be named under the Young Offenders Act, has been charged with aggravated assault, dangerous use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. The suspect has been remanded to appear in Red Deer provincial court on April 19.
jjones@www.reddeeradvocate.com