Warning: This story contains details readers may find disturbing
THUNDER BAY – Const. Ryan Dougherty, one of the first Thunder Bay Police Service officers who responded to a Victoria Avenue residence in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2020 after reports of a child having been stabbed by his mother, had to pause and wipe away tears before describing what he saw in the living room upon entering the home.
“I looked down at the victim. His shirt was covered in blood,” he said. “I looked at his shirt and saw multiple stab wounds.”
Dougherty was one of several first responders called to testify by the Crown on day three of the Courtney LaBelle second-degree murder trial.
LaBelle has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing her 11-year-old son 31 times. A publication ban has been ordered by the court preventing the publication of the victim’s name.
According to Dougherty, he and his partner were dispatched to a home on the 200s block of Victoria Avenue West at 7:10 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2020 and received information that a mother had stabbed her child.
When he entered the living room at 7:15 a.m., Dougherty observed his sergeant and an elderly man on the floor.
In testimony heard earlier this week, Eugene LaBelle, Courtney LaBelle’s father, said he had come into the living room that morning to find her with a knife and making a stabbing motion downward toward her son. He reported tackling her to the ground and holding her down until police arrived.
Dougherty testified he was instructed to assist the victim and he applied a towel to his chest, before attempting to stop the bleeding by plugging some of the wounds with his finger.
“He was trying to talk to me but I couldn’t understand the words he was saying. He was still breathing,” Dougherty said. “He went limp and his head went off to the left side, and at that time I believe he stopped breathing.”
Const. Kevin Dzijak, Dougherty’s partner, also testified to seeing the victim on the living room floor upon entering the home. After the residence was cleared of any potential threats, he began assisting Dougherty by providing first aid to the victim.
“I bent down onto my knees and assessed the boy. His shirt was saturated in blood,” he said. “There was a shallow breath because I could hear noises from his mouth.”
Dzijak added that he and Dougherty lifted the victim’s shirt and observed four stab-like wounds on his chest.
“I asked him his name. He tried to speak back, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying,” Dzijak said. “From that point, we began applying pressure to the wounds and doing first aid and trying to keep him awake. It was during this time his breath started fading away.”
Fire crews with Thunder Bay Fire Rescue arrived at the same time as the Thunder Bay Police Service officers, but were required to remain outside until the house was cleared of any threats.
Acting fire captain Paul Heino testified police escorted three people out of the house, including a woman who was placed into a police vehicle.
When fire crews were permitted to enter the residence, Heino said he saw two officers, Dougherty and Dzijak, attending to the victim on the floor.
“They said they were trying to control the bleeding,” Heino said. “I asked the officer if the child had a pulse and he said he didn’t know.”
One of the fire crew members began CPR and an oxygen bag was administered. A defibrillator was applied but the analysis determined a ‘no shock.’ Firefighters continued to do CPR and approximately three minutes later, paramedics with Superior North EMS arrived.
Kyle Kuoppa-Aho, a former primary care paramedic with Superior North EMS, testified to being at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre when he and his partner received a call of a child with vital signs absent at 7:13 a.m.
Being the closest mobile ambulance, they responded to the call and arrived at the residence on Victoria Avenue at 7:18 a.m. While in route, Kuoppa-Aho said he was mistakenly informed that the child was seven years old and his plan was to enter the residence and carry the victim to the ambulance as quickly as possible.
“Immediately to my right on the floor, I observed a few police officers working on a young boy, who appeared to be older than seven and heavier than I would be able to carry out on my own,” he said. “The fire department were doing CPR and police officers were holding towels to wounds. I confirmed he was vital signs absent and had penetrating wounds to his chest.”
The victim was carried out of the residence with the assistance of the police officers and fire crew to the ambulance. One of the fire crew members travelled in the back of the ambulance with paramedics to assist.
The ambulance left the scene at 7:23 a.m. under a police escort and arrived at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre at 7:27 a.m.
The trial continues on Friday with the forensic pathologist scheduled to testify.
