'Someone knows who is responsible': RCMP ask for information after 3 stabbed by group of youths in Thompson

The mayor of Thompson, Man., is calling on the community to be on guard after news of a string of seemingly random stabbings shocked the citythis week.

Three people are in hospital with multiple stab wounds after being attacked by what's described as a group of youths with knives in the community roughly 650 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

In all five people told RCMP they were attacked within a few hours early Thursday morning.

"It is shocking, like I say it was very upsetting when we first heard it," said Thompson mayor Colleen Smook over the phone from Quebec City, where she's attending the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' annual convention.

No arrests have been made in the attacks, and Smook says people in Thompson need to be aware of their surroundings, especially if walking in the city's downtown at night.

"You should be walking with other people or take precautions as you would anywhere else, make sure you're in well-lit areas," she said.

"In normal it's not really a big issue and when we hear that it's youth involved, we want to nip that in the bud before it gets started."

No arrests have been made and police are asking for help finding those responsible for the attacks, believed to include at least two teenage boys.

Police investigating

The attacks took place in the same general area, RCMP spokesperson Corp. Julie Courchaine said, with no more than a couple of kilometres between each site.

It started around 2:45 a.m., when police found a 24-year-old man suffering from a stab wound on Mystery Lake Road.

"It was believed that the victim was stabbed by two teenaged males and there was other people there, that actually watched the attack happen," said Courchaine.

An hour later, police were called to the community's homeless shelter after a 48-year-old man was stabbed. Police believe he was walking on a path beside the shelter when he was attacked by two youths.

The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries before being sent to Winnipeg for more treatment. He's in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, police say.

At 5:20 a.m., police were called to a report of a stabbing at an apartment complex in the city. Officers found a 27-year-old man with multiple stab wounds.

Why this is happening, you know, it kind of boggles my mind.- Corp. Julie Courchaine

Police say he was walking on a trail alongside the complex when he was attacked by a group of youths. The 27-year-old was also sent to Winnipeg for treatment, where he's in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

During this same time period, a security guard at a local hotel and an adult male walking in Deerwood park reported being attacked by a group of youths. The security guard reported seeing the group of youths armed with knives.

Courchaine says the attacks appear to be random and investigators haven't been able to determine a motive.

"It doesn't seem to be a robbery type incident, so why this is happening, you know, it kind of boggles my mind," she said Friday.

"We want to find the people responsible for this, obviously senseless violence."

Anyone with information is asked to call Thompson RCMP at 204-677-6909. You can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, or submit a secure tip online.