Aggravated assault charges laid after 3-year investigation into Port Coquitlam stabbing

Central Elementary School in Port Coquitlam is seen in this file photo. (CTV News)

Two people have been charged with weapons offences more than three years after a stabbing near a Port Coquitlam elementary school.

Shane Aston Gero and a youth – who cannot be named because the Youth Criminal Justice Act protects the minor’s identity – are each facing three charges stemming from a stabbing that occurred around 1 a.m. on June 4, 2022 near Central Elementary School, Coquitlam RCMP said in a news release Friday.

Gero and the youth are each charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, police said.

Both of the accused are Port Coquitlam residents, according to police, who said Gero is now 23 years old, meaning he would have been 20, at the oldest, at the time of the stabbing.

CTV News reached out to police to inquire whether the youth – whose gender police did not specify – is currently under 18 or is considered a youth because the offence they’re accused of committing occurred when they were under that age. A spokesperson declined to answer the question, claiming that commenting on the youth’s “current age status” could help reveal their identity.

At the time of the incident, police said the victim had been stabbed by a “group of unknown assailants” in an “isolated incident” that did not appear to be connected to the school or any of its students, despite occurring on school grounds.

• Read more: RCMP investigating stabbing by ‘group of unknown assailants’ in Port Coquitlam

The charges against Gero and the youth were laid on June 25, and police arrested both suspects on July 2, according to Coquitlam RCMP.

Gero remained in custody as of Wednesday, while the youth has been released with “various court-imposed conditions,” police said.

Coquitlam RCMP Acting Sgt. John Graham said the charges were the result of “a complex and thorough investigation.”

“Members of the Coquitlam RCMP work proactively every day to help ensure our communities and neighborhoods are free of violence, but when such incidents do occur we work tirelessly to bring those responsible to our courts,” Graham said in the release.

“The result of this protracted investigation is a testament to the dedicated operational and investigative police efforts of our team.”

Online court records indicate Gero is scheduled to make his next appearance on July 14 in Port Coquitlam provincial court.