Elliot Chorny, identified by police as “a 19-year-old female” with “no fixed address” accused of stabbing a young child in downtown Halifax, appeared before a judge this morning.
Authorities have now revealed that Chorny was already scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on March 12 in connection with a separate incident on Jan. 27.
Little information is known about what police are describing as the prior “assault” or why Chorny was released back into the public.
Today’s court appearance at Halifax provincial court was related to the latter incident, with Chorny facing charges of attempted murder and possession of a weapon dangerous to public safety.
The victim, a six-year-old child, remains hospitalized with serious injuries. Authorities have stated that there is no known connection between the suspect and the victim.
In a press conference held by the Halifax Region Police on Monday, Cst. Martin Cromwell confirmed parents of the child were present during the attack but couldn’t provide any further details pending an “ongoing investigation.”
At the same press conference, a reporter asked Cromwell, “What would you say to parents who are concerned about the safety of their children should they wish to take them on a Sunday afternoon to downtown Halifax?”
“On any given day,” Cromwell responded, “parents should stay close to their child, but I wouldn’t want to give any parenting advice at this point.”
The case is under investigation by the Halifax Regional Police Integrated Criminal Investigative Division.
Anyone with information about the incident or video footage from the area at the time is asked to call Halifax Regional Police at 902-490-5020.