Last Wednesday, on a sunny Vancouver morning, the police found a 56-year old man lying on the steps of downtown’s Holy Rosary Cathedral. He was bleeding from the head and from the stump at the end of his left arm where his hand had been severed.  

Just around the corner, outside the renowned Queen Elizabeth Theatre, a 70-year old man lay dying in a pool of his own blood. The attacks all happened within minutes of each other. Police suspect they were perpetrated by the same person who had over 60 run-ins with law enforcement and a long history of mental illness.