Winnipeg police shoot, kill suspect after officer stabbed in the throat
Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating a deadly police shooting at Winnipeg’s Unicity Shopping Centre Sunday evening.
The Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) told reporters one officer is recovering after he was stabbed in the throat, while the suspect had been shot by officers and later died of his injuries.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Winnipeg newsletters
The incident unfolded near a bus shack at the Unicity Shopping Centre.
Police said officers were in the area as part of the WPS retail theft initiative. Then, just after 5 p.m., an emergency transmission came into the police communication centre from a plain clothes unit at the mall.
They reported an officer had been stabbed in the throat and a male suspect had been shot.
"This transmission is one that we never, ever want to receive," said Acting Chief Art Stannard, speaking to reporters late Sunday evening.
Details about what led to the stabbing and the subsequent shooting are limited.
Police said they were dealing with the man by the shelter. During their interaction, police allege the suspect stabbed one of the officers in the throat with an edged weapon. The officers said they told the man to drop his weapon, and shortly after officers fired their weapons. The suspect was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The injured officer, a senior member of the WPS, was taken to hospital. Stannard said he visited the officer and his wife in hospital Sunday evening.
"His wife was there and just extremely emotional," recalled Stannard. "He's doing well, and they're treating him very well. I would say he's stable and most likely to be released."
Police said they have not yet identified the male suspect, and the investigation is still in its early stages.
Stannard said he is aware videos of the incident have been posted online, but cautioned they do not show the full interaction officers had with the suspect.
"I'm concerned that it only shows part of the interaction," said Stannard. "There was a front part of it that doesn't seem to be on video yet, and I don't want the public to react to just that part of it. I want them to wait until the whole investigation is done."
‘It’s very surreal’
Sarah Duguay was working at a nearby barbershop when shots rang out.
"I stepped out and there was just police everywhere,” she told CTV News Monday. “It’s very surreal that it happened so close to work when we’re supposed to be safe.”
“It just feels kind of heavy knowing that someone died.”
The incident has renewed calls from community advocates to equip officers with body-worn cameras, similar to those implemented by the RCMP earlier this month.
“I don’t think it’s a magic bullet, but I think it tells a bigger part of the story,” said Sheila North. “But it also holds people accountable before they make rash or unethical decisions.”
However, Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University, said the cameras don’t always capture the full story and their content can’t be made public.
“We’re always going to have puzzle pieces, as it were, of any incident in question,” he said. “And body-worn camera footage is only one of the puzzle pieces.”
Police watchdog probing shooting
As of Monday afternoon, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) confirmed it is probing the shooting.
The police watchdog said in a news release that it was notified of the shooting on Sunday, with a team of IIU investigators immediately deployed.
Because this involves a death, the IIU noted it will be requesting the Manitoba Police Commission appoint a civilian monitor.
Anyone with information or video footage of the shooting is asked to call IIU investigators at 1-844-667-6060.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Upcoming GST relief causes confusion for some small Canadian businesses
A tax break for the holiday season will start this weekend, giving some Canadians relief on year-end shopping. But for small businesses, confusion around what applies for GST relief has emerged.
Public support key but harder to keep as Canada Post strike drags on, experts say
Public support is key to the success of a strike, experts say, but as the Canada Post strike drags on, that support is likely getting harder to maintain.
Ontario mulls U.S. booze ban as Trump brushes off Ford's threat to cut electricity
Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is brushing off Ontario's threat to restrict electricity exports in retaliation for sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, as the province floats the idea of effectively barring sales of American alcohol.
Suspected Chinese spy with business ties to Prince Andrew barred from U.K.
A suspected Chinese spy with business ties to Prince Andrew has been barred from the U.K. because of concerns he poses a threat to national security.
Russia targets Ukrainian infrastructure with a massive attack by cruise missiles and drones
Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine on Friday, firing 93 cruise and ballistic missiles and almost 200 drones, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country's energy sector since Russia's full-scale invasion almost three years ago.
Canadian officials eyed 'new opportunities' no matter who won U.S. election: memos
As the U.S. presidential election loomed, Canadian officials envisioned new opportunities for co-operation with their southern neighbour on nuclear energy, supply chain security and carbon capture technologies — no matter who won the contest, newly released government memos show.
Man who set fires inside Calgary's municipal building lost testicle during arrest: ASIRT
Two Calgary police officers have been cleared of any wrongdoing in an incident that saw a suspect lose a testicle after being shot with an anti-riot weapon.
She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet's partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
President Macron names centrist ally Bayrou as France's next prime minister
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist ally Francois Bayrou as prime minister, after a historic parliamentary vote ousted the previous government last week.