2 dead, third in critical condition after attack in Kingston, Ont., suspect arrested

Two people are dead and a third suffered life-threatening injuries in an attack at an encampment in Kingston, Ont. Thursday. A suspect has been arrested following a multi-hour standoff.

Officers were called to 661 Montreal St. at 10:40 a.m. Thursday on reports of an assault at the encampment near the Integrated Care Hub.

"It happened in various areas on the grounds of Belle Park and then out onto Montreal Street," Kingston Police media relations officer Const. Anthony Colangeli told reporters at the scene. "That's why our scene was so big. We had multiple scenes and we wanted to make it as big as possible to prevent further public safety issues."

Three victims and the suspect were found at the scene.

Frontenac County Paramedics confirmed three patients were taken to Kingston General Hospital in critical condition. The victims had stab wounds and injuries from a blunt object, according to police. 

In an update, police said two of the victims, both men, have died. The third, a woman, remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police said the victims and the suspect knew each other.

The two people who were killed have been identified as Taylor Wilkinson, 38, and John Hood, 41. Police are not identifying the third person who remains in the hospital. 

Police officers surrounded the suspect and spent several hours attempting to get him to surrender. He was arrested just before 5 p.m., "without further incident," police said.

He has been identified as Andre Wareham, 47. He is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Kingston police have closed a stretch of Montreal Street following an attack that killed two people and critically injured another on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

Montreal Street was closed between Hickson Avenue and Railway Street for an extended period of time as the investigation. It reopened Friday morning.

Mayor calls for closure of Integrated Care Hub

In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson said he is horrified by the incident, calling it a "senseless act of violence."

He is calling for the Integrated Care Hub (ICH) to close immediately.

"I will not stand by and wait until more people die – enough is enough," he said. "We need to clear the encampment, close this safe injection site and the ICH until we can find a better way to support our most vulnerable residents and work with the province to provide treatment and housing solutions."

He blamed "community partners and advocates" for fighting the city "on every attempt we've made to clear this encampment and ensure public safety for those living there."

Paterson said he'd have more to say once more information about the situation is known. 

In a statement Thursday evening the Integrated Care Hub said it was closing for "a couple of days" in order to assist police.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of the incident that occurred in the Montreal and Railway Street area of Kingston today. Our immediate priority is to support our clients and individuals in our community who are impacted as well as of course the staff of all our organizations," the statement said. "This is an active police investigation, and to support their ongoing investigation we have been asked to temporarily close the services of the Integrated Care Hub (ICH) at 661 Montreal Street. This closure will be effective immediately and is expected to last a couple of days."

The ICH said it is committed to collaborating with all health, social service, municipal and other sector partners to find workable solutions for all people.

"Collectively, we are facing the most difficult social problems of our time, and as ever, our focus is on working with our community to support the most vulnerable," the ICH said. "Thank you to Kingston Police Services and all Emergency Response providers for responding to this very difficult and challenging situation."

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katie Griffin

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App