Homicide investigation underway after fatal stabbing in Victoria

A Victoria police van in an undated photo from the Victoria Police Department. (Handout)

Homicide investigators say a woman is dead and a man is in police custody following a stabbing Wednesday in downtown Victoria.

Patrol officers were called to a residential building near the intersection of Quadra and Fort streets at around 5:30 p.m., according to a statement Thursday from the Victoria Police Department.

Police and paramedics found the victim suffering from a stab wound and provided emergency first aid, however she died from her injuries, the statement said.

The Victoria Police Department’s major crimes unit attended the scene and took conduct of the investigation before it was handed off to the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU).

One man was arrested and held in custody. Detectives believe the stabbing was an isolated incident with “no ongoing risk to community safety,” the statement said.

Police later identified the suspect as Gregory Kushniryk. Court records show Kushniryk is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 27.

“This file remains under investigation by VIIMCU, and further details cannot be shared at this time.”