Woman, 19, charged with attempted murder after boy, 6, stabbed in Halifax

A 19-year-old woman charged with stabbing a child appeared in a Halifax court on Monday.

A woman has been charged with attempted murder after a six-year-old boy was stabbed in downtown Halifax Sunday afternoon.

Police responded to the 1900 block of Barrington Street around 1:20 p.m., where they found the child suffering from “multiple stab wounds.”

Halifax Regional Police Const. Martin Cromwell confirmed during a news conference Monday that a knife was involved in the incident.

The child suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to the IWK Health Centre. He remained in hospital Monday.

The victim’s identity is now protected by a publication ban so his name will not be released.

Accused identified

Police have identified the suspect as 19-year-old Elliott Chorny. She was found at the scene and arrested for aggravated assault. However, that charge has been upgraded to attempted murder.

Police don’t believe the victim and the accused are known to each other.

Chorny appeared in Halifax provincial court Monday afternoon to face charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace.

She was remanded into custody and is due back in court on March 13 for election and plea.

“She can apply for bail. At this time, the Crown would be opposed to any release,” Crown prosecutor Michael Coady told CTV News.

“I can confirm these are very serious allegations, very tragic. I can confirm that the Public Prosecution Service works every day to protect the public.”

Meanwhile, Cromwell says Chorny is known to police as she was charged with assault last month.

“Back in January, the accused in this matter was charged with assault, but that matter’s before the courts, so I would not be able to speak to it further,” he told reporters Monday afternoon.

According to court documents, Chorny does not have a fixed address.

“The investigation is still in this very early stages,” said Coady. “The Crown is not able to speak to her mental health at this point.”

N.S. premier expresses ‘outrage’

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston issued a statement on the incident on social media Sunday night.

“I struggle to fully express my outrage and sadness at learning about this attack on an innocent child in Halifax this afternoon. My thoughts are with the victim and their family,” he said.

“The person who did this is clearly a threat to the public and should be kept locked behind bars.”

Halifax Regional Police is asking anyone who may have video from the Barrington Street area around the time of the stabbing to call them at 902-490-5020.

“We are asking anyone who was in the area that may have witnessed the incident, anyone with video, be it dash-cam, any type of video, anything that they witnessed, to come forward and contact police,” Cromwell said.

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