Edmonton New Year's Eve stabbing victim in critical condition asks for public financial help

The sister of one of the men stabbed in central Edmonton on New Year's Eve said Tuesday he's going to recover but is seeking help to provide for his family.

Jolene Lizotte told CTV News Edmonton that her brother Curtis, who was stabbed by an unknown male assailant at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday night near 111 Avenue and 96 Street while walking to a store, was expecting to defend himself when he was approached.

"He thought maybe they were going to fight," Jolene said outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where Curtis is in intensive care.

"The guy just stabbed him and took off, basically turned coward and took off running."

About 20 minutes later, police say the assailant stabbed another man a few blocks away at the Kingsway Transit Centre then headed south toward the downtown core.

Both stabbing victims are in hospital in critical condition.

Edmonton police are looking for the man, described as aged 20-30, Indigenous, wearing a black hoodie underneath a black jacket, blue jeans and carrying a black-and-green backpack.

Edmonton police released surveillance photos of a man they believe is responsible for two separate stabbings on Dec. 31, 2023. (Credit: Edmonton Police Service)"It's kind of scary knowing this guy is going around stabbing people, and nobody's sure of where he is," said Jolene, who travelled with other family members from their home in Fort Vermillion, about 650 kilometres north of Edmonton, after finding out about the stabbing.

Jolene said her 53-year-old brother, a former boxer, walked home after the stabbing and asked his wife to call an ambulance, oblivious at the time to the serious wound to his stomach.

She said Curtis is asking people for help to provide for his family while he can't work.

"He was supposed to go back to work (Tuesday), and he can't even lift his body up ... he can't go to work, he can't provide for his family," Jolene said. "He asked us to put up a GoFundMe because there's no way he can provide for his family right now."

Lizotte's GoFundMe page says he is expected to be unable to work for six-to-eight weeks and has no health benefits through his work.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny