A gun used in a shooting that injured a teen on the weekend had been stolen the previous evening from an off-duty RCMP officer, said Winnipeg police.
Two men are in custody facing charges in relation to shooting of the 16-year-old girl, which sent the victim to hospital in critical condition.
The shooting happened around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of a convenience store on Autumnwood Drive.
The suspects are believed to have gang ties.
The victim is expected to recover. She is not believed to have been the intended target.
"Investigation revealed that the victim, along with others, had been sitting in a vehicle when one of the occupants exchanged words with one of two unknown males," said police in a statement. "The male approached the vehicle. A firearm was produced and discharged, striking the victim."
The victim was sitting in the front passenger seat when the shot rang out shattering the window and piercing her chest.
“It was the loudest bang I’ve ever heard,” said a 17-year-old girl who was in the backseat. “Then instantly I heard the window shattering.”
The girl told CTV the driver of the car immediately accelerated away and that’s when they realized the passenger was injured.
"She was like saying, 'I've been shot, I've been shot.' And we were like, 'No, nobody's been shot.'” the witness said. “And she was like, 'Yeah, I've been shot.' And we looked and she was wounded and bleeding everywhere."
The girl said the bullet went through her friend’s lung and spleen before exiting out her back and lodging in the front seat of the car.
The victim has had multiple surgeries and is currently listed in stable condition.
A subsequent police standoff in East Elmwood early Sunday morning was related to the shooting.
Around 3:00 a.m. Sunday, heavily armed Winnipeg police officers showed up at a Manitoba Housing complex on Keenleyside Street.
"I started hearing police officers yelling at someone, calling his name,” said a neighbour named Gabriel. “’We are Winnipeg police. Can you come out from your unit?’"
Concerned neighbours said they took shelter in their homes throughout the standoff as they feared the situation could become violent.
People living in homes across the street from where the shooting happened say they’re not surprised by the violence.
They say the parking lot of the convenience store is a regular weekend hangout for youth who drink and sometimes fight.
Winnipeg police said the gun was stolen in the southeast area of Winnipeg on Friday. A report was filed over the theft.
Police recovered a gun following the standoff on Sunday.
One suspect was taken into custody in the North End, while a second one was arrested after the Keenleyside standoff.
Matthew Wilfred McKay, 22, faces multiple charges, including attempted murder and weapons offences.
Matthew Andrew Miles, 25, faces charges for weapons offences and theft.
RCMP issued a statement regarding the stolen gun.
"As this theft and subsequent shooting occurred in the City of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Police Service is the lead agency for all aspects of the investigation. The RCMP thanks the WPS for their diligent efforts in quickly tracking and securing the firearm that was stolen from a marked RCMP police vehicle. As the WPS investigation into the matter is ongoing, no further information can be provided at this time," said RCMP.
A spokesperson for the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba also issued a statement.
"The IIU has determined the matter, at this time, does not fall within their mandate and is not involved in the current WPS investigation," it said.
- with a report from CTV's Ben Miljure
