WINNIPEG -- Winnipeg police officers are investigating a homicide after a man was fatally shot in the city’s William Whyte area on Thursday.
This is the city’s 16th homicide of the year.
Police said they were called to a home in the 700 block of Selkirk Avenue around 9:30 a.m. for reports a man had been shot.
Upon arrival, they found the victim on the front steps of the home with gunshot wounds.
The 23-year-old man was taken to hospital in critical condition where he was pronounced dead.
Const. Rob Carver said it’s too early to say if this was gang-related, but it does not appear to be random.
Carver noted the report came in as a 911 call after someone heard gunshots in the area and found the victim on the stairs.
Police did not release the name of the victim, who was known to police, as next of kin are still being notified. They also didn’t provide any information on suspects.
“I’m neither confirming that we have identified suspects, or that we’re looking for any particular individuals,” Carver said.
The homicide unit is investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to contact 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers.
HOMICIDES AND GUN VIOLENCE IN WINNIPEG
Carver noted Winnipeg has seen the same amount of homicides this year as it did compared to the same time in 2019.
He said it’s impossible to compare the pace though, because homicides are random in nature.
“When we were looking at last year’s toll and it was tragic year for homicides for the City of Winnipeg, we noticed there were a couple of multiple homicides, there was kind of a rash of a number that clustered in the summer,” he said.
When asked about gun violence in Winnipeg, Carver said police continue to arrest people in possession of guns, and continue to get reports of shots fired.
“The same comment is said consistently by myself and investigators in our Guns and Gangs unit and by homicide investigators – almost every single gun that we locate is possessed illegally by the accused,” he said.
“I cannot remember the last time where we had a situation where we arrested somebody with a firearm or a firearm-related offence, and that gun was legally in their possession.”
