CANADA: Gay Man Left Paralyzed In Nova Scotia Stabbing UPDATE: Arrest Made

A gay man has been paralyzed in a stabbing attack that took place Friday night outside a Nova Scotia bar. Friends and family suspect that the attack was a hate crime. No arrests have been made.

Amy Punke said she and a group of friends, including her 27-year-old roommate Scott Jones, were out celebrating the opening of a friend's art studio. She said the group decided to leave one bar and go to another. She went on ahead and did not witness the attack. “He was walking with a friend and two men, who had previously been at the bar we were at, came running across the street. One of the men distracted Scott’s friend and the other man stabbed Scott twice in the back and tried to slit his throat,” she said. The injury to Jones' throat was superficial, said Punke, but the stabbing severed Jones’ spinal cord leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

The victim reports that one of his attackers whispered something in his ear before stabbing him, but he cannot recall what was said. (Tipped by JMG reader Todd.)

UPDATE: There has been an arrest:

A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the stabbing of 27-year-old Scott Jones early Saturday morning in New Glasgow. New Glasgow police confirmed the man will be charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace. He also faces a weapons charge in connection with an incident earlier Saturday evening involving an 18-year-old woman. His name has not been released yet. The stabbing appears to be a hate crime, members of Jones’s family said Saturday.