British Columbia

Man charged in random killing appears in Vancouver court

Brendon McBride, 34, was arrested on Sept. 5 soon after the downtown Vancouver attacks that left one man dead and another with a severed hand.

Brendon McBride, 34, is charged with 2nd-degree murder and aggravated assault

A composite artist's sketch of the judge, the clerk, a lawyer and a man in a red T-shirt appearing on screen via video link.
Brendan McBride appeared in Vancouver Provincial Court on charges related to random attacks in Vancouver that left one man dead and another with a severed hand. (Sketch by Sheila Allan/CBC)

The White Rock, B.C., man charged in random attacks in downtown Vancouver that left one victim dead and another with a severed hand appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday in relation to the alleged crimes.

Brendan Colin McBride, 34, is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault.

McBride appeared briefly via video feed from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, wearing a red prison sweatshirt and speaking clearly when responding to questions from Judge David St. Pierre. 

Francis David Laporte, 70, was killed when he was attacked on the morning of Sept. 4 on the Queen Elizabeth Theatre plaza at West Georgia and Hamilton Street.

Ten minutes before, a man in his 50s suffered a severed hand and head injuries in an attack at nearby Cathedral Square at Richards and Dunsmuir streets. The victim's hand has since been reattached.

McBride was arrested shortly afterward at Habitat Island near the Olympic Village.

His next appearance in Vancouver Provincial Court is scheduled for Oct. 4. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karin Larsen

@CBCLarsen

Karin Larsen is a former Olympian and award winning sports broadcaster who covers news and sports for CBC Vancouver.