RPS corporal recovering after stabbing at Cornwall Centre

A 17-year veteran of the Regina Police Service was recovering at home Monday after he was stabbed during an incident in the Cornwall Centre parkade Sunday afternoon.

Chief Evan Bray told reporters Monday afternoon that Cpl. Justin Duck suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries after he got into a struggle with a suspect who had climbed into a stolen vehicle.

Bray said Duck sustained multiple stab wounds and lacerations in the melee. One of the wounds came close to an artery in what Bray called “a lower-body injury.”

Officers used a Taser to subdue the suspect. They also quickly tended to Duck.

“It was determined fairly quickly that the injuries to the officer were significant and deemed to be serious,” Bray said. “There was a fair bit of blood loss at the scene and of course the officers were very worried for his safety.”

After getting first aid from his fellow officers, Duck was transported to hospital. His injuries were stabilized and he was kept overnight for observation before being released Monday morning.

“It’s not often that our officers encounter that sort of attack against them,” Bray said. “Oftentimes our officers are investigating a situation where that sort of weapon has been used on someone else, and so as we’re trying to make an arrest on the suspect, they’re usually resisting the arrest or trying to flee. In this case, this weapon obviously was used on the officer.

“It just speaks to the uncertainty that comes with each and every call. It doesn’t have to be the middle of the night in a dark alley.”

The incident happened at about 3:45 p.m., when officers located a stolen vehicle in the parkade.

As they got close to the vehicle, two people approached it. One of them took off after seeing the police, but the other got into the vehicle.

At that point, Duck confronted the suspect and a struggle broke out. As Duck backed off due to his injuries, the man started to run, but officers used a Taser to stop him.

Jordan Stirling, 29, made his first court appearance Monday on charges of attempted murder, possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace (a knife), theft of a vehicle, possession of property obtained by a crime exceeding $5,000, and breach of an undertaking.

Bray said the charge of attempted murder was laid because the police feel the suspect was resisting the efforts of an officer in full uniform, so there wasn’t any question as to what was happening.

“Those stabs were not placed in spots strategically,” Bray said. “They were just attempts made to try and inflict injury that would allow that person to escape.”

Bray said he expects Duck to return to work, perhaps as early as the end of November.

While officers train regularly to protect themselves from harm, Bray said that seeing one of their own sustain serious injuries has to have an impact on officers.

They go into what Bray called “unpredictable events” every day, so they need to be prepared for anything.

“This sort of tragedy and these high-risk situations happen in our community every day,” Bray said. “But when it happens to one of your own, it gives you a bit of a different perspective to it.

“Those officers, knowing that Cpl. Duck is going to make a recovery from this, I think that brings them a lot of solace.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Evan Radford

(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is an amended version of the story, with corrected language.)