'It's just devastating': Family and friends remember slain victims in Langside shooting

Dozens of friends and family members gathered outside 143 Langside Street Sunday to remember the lives of their loved ones lost in last week’s deadly shooting.

On Nov. 26, police were called to the residence around 4:05 a.m. where they found five people suffering from gunshot wounds. Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died in hospital. One person is still hospitalized in critical condition.

Among the victims were two sisters – 34-year-old Crystal Shannon Beardy and 33-year-old Stephanie Amanda Beardy.

“They were good kids,” said Crystal and Stephanie’s great-aunt Thelma Roulette. “They were friendly, they were jokesters. They would help anybody in need.”

Beverley Beardy, Crystal and Stephanie’s mother, said she is going to miss her daughters a lot.

“I’m still very, very, very hurt that my two daughters are gone,” Beardy said.

41-year-old Dylan Maxwell Lavallee and 29-year-old Malelek Leseri Lesikel were also killed.

Gardina Prince said she knew all four people who died and said Lesikel was her partner and best friend.

“He cared about people, he was giving, he was helpful,” Prince said when speaking about Lesikel. “He had dreams and he had goals and he was a smart guy.”

On Friday, Winnipeg police arrested and charged 32-year-old Jamie Randy Felix with four counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection to the shooting. The charges have not been tested in court, but the victims’ family and friends say the arrest brings some relief.

“We’re happy that someone is going to be brought to justice for this brutal crime,” said Roberta Owen, Crystal and Stephanie's aunt. “We lost a lot of sleep ourselves with all of this and it’s really, really hard.”

“It’s just devastating for this community,” said Angela Klassen, the Bear Clan Patrol coordinator for Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood. Klassen said Sunday’s vigil is an opportunity for the community to being its healing process.

“The songs and the drum is the heartbeat of the community,” Klassen said. “We want to be here and we want to help the community heal.”

Relatives of the Beardy family say they will be laying Crystal and Stephanie to rest in Winnipeg on Dec. 11, 2023.