Parents and children hug each other after an eleven-year-old boy is put into an ambulance in Topsail, Nfld., 23 kms west of St. John's, on Thursday Sept. 25, 2014. The child was apparently stabbed in the neck during a soccer fun night at the local field. A person of interest has been taken into custody by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.Keith Gosse/The Canadian Press
A 19-year-old man is facing charges after a boy, 11, was stabbed on a soccer field in eastern Newfoundland as horrified parents and young players looked on.
Nicholas Layman has been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon following an attack in Conception Bay South on Thursday evening.
Layman appeared Friday in provincial court in St. John's, where he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
The injured boy was taken off the soccer field and taken to hospital in serious condition on Thursday night. Police said they arrested a suspect that night not far from the Topsail Soccer Field and Clubhouse, where the stabbing is alleged to have taken place.
Investigators have not said whether the suspect and the victim knew each other.
The town of Conception Bay South issued a news release saying the young soccer player was allegedly stabbed by someone who was in the stands.
Mayor Ken McDonald said in an interview he's in disbelief over the attack, adding that the community is looking for answers.
"It's hard to believe that an 11-year-old child could provoke or do something to an individual ... to have him do this," he said. "It makes you wonder."
McDonald said his thoughts and prayers are with the family.
"It could have been much more tragic," he said. "I do understand the individual is in hospital, (he) lost quite a bit of blood, he's still in serious condition but stable."
Police said a vehicle was seized in relation to the stabbing investigation.
Upwards of 100 players were at the field for a skills camp when the stabbing occurred Thursday at around 7:50 p.m. Witnesses said the attacker leaped from the stands, stabbed the boy and fled in a vehicle.
The Conception Bay South Soccer Association posted a statement on its website saying it was "shocked and saddened" by the incident.
The association said crisis intervention counsellors will be available for anyone who needs assistance over the next few days and all activities at Topsail Field and Clubhouse are suspended until further notice.