'We are not safe!' Tenants of community housing building rattled after violent Sunday leaves one person with life-threatening injuries

Some residents of an east London, Ont. community housing apartment building say they don’t feel safe in their own homes anymore.

“We’re caught between a rock and a hard place,” says Tammy Burgess, a resident of 202 McNay Street, a London and Middlesex Community Housing building. “This is a place for us to feel safe, and we are not safe, we are not safe.”

She was expressing the anger and vulnerability she says many tenants are feeling after a violent Sunday at the high rise apartment building.

The London Police Service (LPS) responded to the residence at 10:45 p.m. Sunday night where they say a male was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition after being stabbed.

“We had a town hall meeting and I mentioned something about this,” says Burgess. “What are we going to do about all the people that come here that do not live here? What are we going to do, wait till somebody gets stabbed?

Earlier in the day police responded to an unrelated disturbance at the building.

London police are investigating an apparent stabbing in the 200 block of McNay Street. Sept. 19, 2022. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

Several residents say a woman was struck with a tire iron during an altercation. Police have made no arrests in that case.

Christine Siegrist, whose mother lives in the building, says she’d like to get her out as soon as possible.

“Every time I come by to visit there’s always homeless people, drug addicts around, and I’m concerned for my mom’s safety, as well as others,” says Siegrist.

Long time resident Judy Koile adds the building used to be safe, but now strangers are seen coming and going at all hours.

“They’ve been sleeping in the hallways, and in the laundry room, and in the stairwell, it’s not really what you’d call safe any more,” says Koile.

Most of the building’s residents are elderly, and many have mobility issues, according to tenants who spoke with CTV News London. Some say they couldn’t get to their homes for several hours during the night, as a police investigation appeared to focus their attention on an elevator.

“Both elevators were locked,” says Burgess. “They were there until after four in the morning. And they could not get up. They’re seniors! One is in a wheelchair!”

Police say no arrests have been made in the stabbing. LPS Media Relations Officer Cst. Sandasha Bough says any information from the public would be most helpful.

“The investigation has been assigned to members of our Major Crimes Unit, and it is ongoing,” she says.