Camille Runke: Memorial service held for slain Winnipeg woman
Runke, 49, was gunned down outside a Marion Street business on Oct. 30
A memorial was held Friday in Winnipeg for a woman who was gunned down in a St. Boniface last week.
Camille Runke was shot to death at a Marion Street business Oct. 30. Runke had a protection order against 46-year-old Kevin Runke, her estranged husband who shot himself to death after police tried to pull him over near St. Malo, Man., on Monday
Kevin Runke is a suspect in Camille Runke's death, Winnipeg police said Tuesday.
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On Friday, Camille's family and friends held a memorial service for the slain 49-year-old woman.
"The church was filed with love, peace — we could certainly feel her soul that was there with us," said Roxanne Kirouac, one of Camille's closest friends.
"She was saying, 'What are you guys crying about? I'm here living — living in everybody's hearts."
Kirouac said Camille was an extraordinary person who was always there to support her friends and family.
"Her family was a true love for her," Kirouac said. "I've never seen anything other than her expressing anything other than that; just nothing but love."
Several former neighbours have spoken out since Camille's death claiming she had been "terrorized" by her ex over the last few months.
Camille called police on 22 separate occasions over concerns about her husband's behaviour. Based on a recommendation from police, she set up surveillance cameras outside the condo where she and Kevin Runke once lived.
Bob Bertrand, Kevin Runke's former boss, said he was a model employee that everyone enjoyed working with. However, after his relationship with Camille ended, Kevin eventually stopped showing up to work and was let go, Bertrand added.
Karen Busby, a University of Manitoba law professor, told CBC News that police should've done more to keep Kevin Runke in custody before Camille's death. But, she added, the criminal justice system can only do so much to protect those who are in danger.
"The best laws aren't going to keep women safe," Busby said Tuesday. "If men are willing to shoot them in broad daylight there isn't a criminal justice system in the world that can stop them from doing that."
A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service said officers did everything that they could reasonably do to help Camille.