Kingston Police said a 36-year-old man was taken into custody and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, criminal negligence causing bodily harm and leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm. In a press release Thursday afternoon, police said the incident happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Integrated Care Hub at 661 Montreal St., a center that provides substance abuse and treatment services, meals, showers and connections to other services for people in the community who often face barriers to care, including homelessness. A driver drove a vehicle “at a low rate of speed” into a scene, hitting two people inside, police said. “A crowd then formed around the vehicle and members of the crowd confronted the driver,” the statement said. “In an attempt to escape the crowd, the driver drove dangerously into the crowd hitting two other people.” The force said three people were taken to hospital but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. The driver then drove to Kingston police headquarters and was arrested there. They are scheduled to attend a bail hearing in court Thursday. A statement issued by the consortium of hub partners said they are “shocked and appalled at the news of what has happened on the ICH property. Gilles Charette, executive director of Trellis HIV & Community Care, told CBC the vehicle hit a tent where people who had COVID-19 were being isolated. On Thursday, the city placed four concrete barricades in front of a row of about 10 tents used to isolate COVID-19 clients at the health center. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
“Our hearts go out to those who were injured”
Charette said the three people taken to the hospital were released Thursday morning. “We are working things out with the police at the moment,” he said. “It was a terrifying scene.” Charette said the community and hub staff rallied quickly Wednesday night. “This is a community that has experienced a lot of trauma and is unfortunately used to being marginalized … They immediately rallied together to take care of each other.” Charette said many details remain unclear, including how the driver got to the scenes and whether they had a specific motive for waiting. He said he is waiting for police to complete their investigation. “Our hearts go out to those injured and to the staff and people we serve who witnessed this horrific scene,” said an earlier statement attributed to Charette, as well as Carol Ravnaas and Betty Jo Dean, co-executive directors. . of Addiction and Mental Health Services Kingston & Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. Ravnaas said what happened Wednesday highlights how the homeless community faces additional challenges during the ongoing pandemic. “If you don’t have a place to live, it’s very difficult to isolate yourself,” he said, adding that using tents for isolation means you’re vulnerable to the weather and unsafe locations. Ravnaas said much more work needs to be done to address the homelessness issue facing Kingston and “almost every community in Ontario.” This is not the first time the hub has seen violence. David Jaeger Hodgson, 51, was stabbed to death at the center in January, and a 48-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder.
