The suspect who attacked a stranger in Vancouver had already received court-ordered psychiatric treatment

Brendan Colin McBride, the man accused of killing one man and attacking another in downtown Vancouver on Wednesday, has been classified by the courts as someone who needs counseling and forensic mental health services as part of a parole sentence in 2022.

The decision was related to an assault conviction, according to court documents obtained by CTV News.

According to court records, McBride was also convicted of another assault in 2023. The judge stayed the related charge of resisting or obstructing the local RCMP officer who attempted to arrest him.

McBride is accused of killing a 70-year-old man near the Queen Elizabeth Theater on the corner of West Georgia and Hamilton Streets on Wednesday morning. He is also accused of attacking another man earlier near the corner of Richards and Dunsmuir Streets.

The victim, who police identified only as a man in his 50s, suffered a severed hand and stab wounds to the head. His hand was recovered at the scene and he was taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Police say officers applied a tourniquet at the scene.

According to Vancouver Police spokesman Sergeant Steve Addison, police confirmed that the man had to undergo emergency surgery to repair his hand and that “the road to recovery is likely to be a long one – both physically and mentally.”

The 34-year-old from White Rock was arrested on Habitat Island near Vancouver's Olympic Village when police were called to a report of a man behaving erratically in the area. McBride was on probation at the time of his arrest.

A mental health expert told CTV News that this case shows the importance of greater integration of the health and justice systems.

“We have clearly failed the people who have been seriously injured and lost their lives this week,” said Keir Macdonald, CEO of Coast Mental Health. “We must do better. We must expect our government to put in place a range of measures and services to keep people safe in public.”

Prime Minister David Eby spoke about the need for an improved mental health system.

“We know there is a group of people living on the streets who cannot care for themselves. They cause general public safety concerns, just through people's emotions when they see someone in their community in such distress, but also in some cases through violent attacks, and that is why we are taking action,” he said.

Eby says he is open to reinstating involuntary psychiatric treatment, adding that the province's chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, Dr. Daniel Vigo, will release his recommendations for an improved treatment system next week.

McBride was charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault on Thursday. He is in police custody until his next court date on Sept. 18.

With files from Todd Coyne of CTV News Vancouver