Overdose-prevention worker slain

VANCOUVER — A worker at an overdose prevention site in Vancouver’s West End has been identified as the city’s ninth homicide victim of 2020 and police are appealing for witnesses as they track his killer.

A statement from Vancouver police said 41-year-old Thomus Donaghy was stabbed Monday night. ‘Investigators said the Vancouver man was working at the overdose prevention site located behind St. Paul’s Hospital when he left the clinic and was involved in a fight with an unknown man.

Sgt. Aaron Roed said the suspect stabbed Donaghy, who was taken to the nearby emergency room but could not be saved.

Police appealed for dash camera video from anyone who might have been driving in the area around the hospital at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Roed said it’s believed several witnesses to the fist fight might not yet have spoken to investigators.

Volunteers at the overdove prevention centre said Donaghy had left the centre for a break when he was attacked. The site has since been closed. Overdose Prevention Society executive director Sarah Blyth said Donaghy, a long-time member of the society, was “a beautiful person” who “saved many lives.”

“It’s another shocking tragedy down here for people to have to deal with in a time when more people are dying than ever,” she said. “It’s really hard.” Overdose prevention sites rely on peer volunteers to monitor those using drugs and provide first aid, including administering naloxone, if a user has a bad reaction.