WINNIPEG -- A 3-year-old boy who has been in grave condition in hospital after a stabbing attack, has been taken off life support, the family said.
On Saturday evening, Darryl Contois, a spokesperson for the family of Hunter Haze Smith-Straight, told CTV News the boy was taken off life support Saturday evening and has died.
The 3-year-old was the victim of an attack early Wednesday morning.
Police said around 2:35 a.m. on Wednesday morning, officers were called to a house on Pritchard Avenue. Inside, police said officers found the boy suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was given emergency first aid before being rushed to hospital.
In a message Friday morning, the family said an MRI showed Hunter had severe brain damage.
BOY WAS TARGETTED POLICE ALLEGE
Police said the boy’s mother was with the suspect at an address on Main Street shortly before the attack on the boy. Police said an argument between the two broke out and the mother was assaulted.
The suspect then went to the house on Pritchard Avenue where police said Hunter Haze Smith-Straight was attacked and stabbed multiple times before the suspect fled.
Police arrested and charged Daniel Jensen, 33, with attempted murder, assault causing bodily harm, failure to comply with a probation order, and six counts of failure to comply with condition recognizance by a judge.
Court documents from July show the suspect had been ordered to have no contact with the mother, or possess weapons.
On Sunday morning, Winnipeg police confirmed the boy had died of his injuries. Police said Jensen remains in custody on charges related to the original investigation. Police have said those charges may be upgraded.
CITY MOURNS THE BOY’S DEATH
On Saturday evening, a memorial for Hunter was set up outside the Pritchard Avenue house where the boy was attacked. A sign tied to a tree reading ‘Rest in peace Hunter. We love you little angel’ was surrounded with flowers and stuffed animals.
“There are no words as too the way I am feeling at the moment for Hunter and his family – my heart is broken to a point, I just wanna cry,” Darryl Contois, the spokesperson for the family, wrote on Facebook. “(I) would like to thank everyone who sent prayers and food and donations, thanks to you all.”
Leaders of the city and province shared their condolences to the family on Twitter.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Hunter Haze Smith-Straight,” Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister said via Twitter Saturday night. “A child full of hopes and dreams, tragically taken too soon.”
On Sunday morning, Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman echoed the premier’s thoughts.
“Our hearts are heavy this morning with the tragic loss of Hunter Smith-Straight,” Bowman said on Twitter.
Others took to social media to share their support and express their condolences.
-with files from Megan Benedictson
