Vancouver police respond to stabbing near Living Hope ChurchFree

One person was injured in a stabbing Friday morning at Living Hope Church in central Vancouver.

The stabbing was reported at 7:45 a.m. at 2711 N.E. Andresen Road near the city-sanctioned homeless camp set up in the church’s parking lot. An ambulance was called to the scene.

Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said in an email that officers arrested Zeberiah N. Cameron. Clark County Jail records indicate and Kapp confirmed that Cameron faces a charge of first-degree attempted murder.

Officers who responded to the incident reported that Cameron had stabbed another person near the church. Cameron was leaving the area as police were arriving and was located just east of the church. He cooperated with police once he was contacted.

Cameron was interviewed and subsequently taken into custody, Kapp said.

Pastor Brian Norris said the victim was a security volunteer and member of another church that meets at Living Hope. The man went to the hospital to get a few stitches and then went home to rest, Kapp said.

Norris said a man staying at the camp “was having a rough morning” and pulled out a pocket knife. He is not allowed back on church property. He said the incident serves as a wake-up call for the church, which plans to review its security protocol to see where it falls short.

For months, the tent encampment has operated next to the church to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.