'No child should have to die like that': Winnipeg woman remembers 12-year-old son who died following stabbing
A Winnipeg woman is remembering her son after he died in an altercation last week.
Joni Gabriel said her 12-year-old son, Sanchez Boulanger, was the one who died on June 18 after an altercation broke out in the 200 block of Burrows Avenue.
Police said Boulanger was stabbed and died in hospital from his injuries.
Gabriel said her family is still trying to cope since Sanchez died.
"(We're) tired, it's stressful. The kids are like processing it. I'm just like, tired and trying to process it too, and I'm confused," said Gabriel.
She said when she has been going through the stages of grief since his death.
"At first I was sad, but now I'm just getting angry, but I am trying not to be angry, I'm just trying to work through it."
Gabriel said her son was a quiet, well-mannered kid, who liked hanging out with his friends, listening to music, and playing Fortnite.
Remembering June 18, Gabriel said her son told her that he was going to go hang out with his girlfriend earlier in the day but he wouldn't specify where.
She said she didn't know anything had happened until she received a call that her other son was also in hospital.
Gabriel first went into the hospital to see her other son Caesar and when she saw him, that's when she was told Sanchez was in the other room.
"They said he wasn't doing too good…They took me to another room and told me to sit down and holding my arm and then she said, 'The doctor needs to come to talk to you, he was stabbed in the heart.'"
Gabriel said Sanchez's sibiling have taken his death hard.
She added she still has questions about the investigation and wonders if more people were involved in Sanchez's death.
"No child should have to die like that."
A vigil was held to honour Sanchez Wednesday night.
The event, which was hosted by the First Nation Indigenous Warriors, was held near where the altercation happened last week on Burrows Avenue between Main Street and Charles Street.
Several members of the community attended the vigil where prayers were said for Sanchez and his family, and drummers performed.
A small shrine has also been started near the scene to remember Sanchez, which features a picture of him, along with well-wishes and stuffed animals.
HOMICIDE SUSPECT RELEASED FROM CUSTODY
Following Sanchez's death, police arrested a 19-year-old woman on June 21 and she was charged with manslaughter.
CTV News learned through court records that Shania Ann-Marie Pearl Pirrie was released from jail on June 22.
She must follow specific conditions during her release, including attending court and living at an address provided to the court.
She is not allowed to live at a different address unless she has permission, she can't contact four specific people and she is not allowed to own or possess any firearm or weapon.
The charges against her have not been proven in court and the homicide unit continues to investigate.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.