Man charged with attempted murder after 2 Halifax hospital employees stabbed

Police have charged a man with nine offences including attempted murder and aggravated assault after several health-care workers were attacked Wednesday afternoon in the emergency room of the Halifax Infirmary.

Nicholas Robert Coulombe, 32, remains in custody. A legal aid lawyer appeared on his behalf in Halifax provincial court on Thursday. Coulombe returns to court on Tuesday for a bail hearing. 

Police say a patient stabbed two people in the emergency room. Nova Scotia Health says one other person was injured.

One of the employees who was stabbed was critically injured, sources tell CBC News. Nova Scotia Health CEO Karen Oldfield said in an email to staff Thursday that the person was in stable condition in hospital.

Halifax Regional Police were called to the hospital at about 1 p.m. Wednesday after a report of a man with a knife. They arrested the patient at the scene.

The emergency department was closed for several hours to all people except those with life-threatening injuries. Normal operations resumed around 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Patient attacks 3 health-care workers at Halifax ER

1 day ago

Duration 1:33

It happened Wednesday afternoon at the Halifax Infirmary emergency department, where two of the staff were stabbed, according to sources. Luke Ettinger has the story.

Last February, Coulombe was one of a number of people ordered by the Halifax Regional Municipality to leave five encampment sites around the city.

At the time, Coulombe was living in a tent in Grand Parade, outside the city hall building. He told CBC News he didn't know where he would go.