Police say 36-year-old Barrie man was rushed to hospital where he died after morning stabbing; investigators had issued public appeal to find 29-year-old Justin Harris
Update #2 (2:48 p.m.): City police say they have a suspect in custody in relation to Friday’s homicide in downtown Barrie.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, police say they arrested 29-year-old Justin Harris in the area of Toronto Street and Dunlop Street West.
Police say the suspect had been seen “interacting” with the victim in the area before police were contacted shortly before noon.
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Update #1 (1:58 p.m.): Barrie police have confirmed they are investigating a homicide today following a stabbing near the Five Points.
Police say they are looking for 29-year-old Justin Harris in relation to a homicide that took place in the area of Bayfield Street and Dunlop Street West on Friday morning.
Police had initially referred to Harris as a “person of interest,” but are now calling him a “suspect” in the case.
At 11:30 a.m., police say officers were called about an injured male lying on the ground in the area of Bayfield Street and Dunlop Street West.
When police arrived, it was determined that the victim had suffered a stab wound, police say.
The 36-year-old Barrie man was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police say Harris was last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, black track pants, blue shoes and a black backpack. He was seen with the victim in the area shortly before police were contacted and was seen leaving the area shortly after.
He was later seen in the area of Worsley Street and Owen Street, removing the red sweatshirt, and then wearing a black T-shirt, carrying two backpacks, police say.
Anyone with information, or who may have surveillance footage or dash-cam footage in the area, is asked to contact the Barrie police major crime/homicide unit at 705-725-7025, ext. 2160.
Roads in the area remain closed as the investigation is ongoing.
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ORIGINAL STORY
City police are investigating a “serious assault” on Bayfield Street near the Five Points intersection in downtown Barrie today.
Police at the scene confirmed they were investigating a stabbing.
A man at the scene around noon said he saw a middle-aged male victim, laying in a pool of blood on the roadway, being loaded onto a stretcher and taken away from the scene in an ambulance.
Police say residents can expect a heavy police presence in the area.
The investigation appears to be focused on Bayfield Street, just north of the Five Points. Bayfield Street is closed from Collier Street, south to the Five Points.
BarrieToday will provide more information as details become available.