Winnipeg police shoot man wielding knife, trying to set car on fire

Manitoba’s police watchdog is investigating after the Winnipeg Police Service shot and injured a man on Notre Dame Avenue who was allegedly wielding a knife and tried to set a car on fire Tuesday afternoon.

According to police, a caller phoned 911, saying a man was trying to set fire to his truck’s gas tank in the 800 block of Arlington Street.

Police said the man, who was not successful at starting the fire, then armed himself with a knife and a rock and began running into traffic, yelling and confronting pedestrians.

Officers arrived on the scene at 5:23 p.m. They used a Taser to try and stop the man, but it was not successful.

An officer then used a firearm, shooting the man.

“Sometimes, the probes just don’t connect, whether it’s clothing, the drive of the person, and some people don’t feel that pain for whatever reason,” said Const. Dani McKinnon on Taser use by police.

“I’m not going to speculate on this, but that neuro-incapacitation, it sounds like it didn’t occur.”

He was taken to hospital in unstable condition, but was later upgraded to stable.

Notre Dame Avenue between Beverley and Home Street was closed for several hours as police investigated.

McKinnon said the incident, taking place on a public street during rush hour, could be traumatizing for people.

“You have a lot of vehicle traffic, a lot of pedestrian traffic now that the weather is nice,” she said. “That area is frequented by many, many people. There’s many factors that are concerning about this.”

The Independent Investigation Unit is investigating the shooting.