Owner dead after incident at Portage Avenue restaurant

A Winnipeg restaurant owner is being remembered as the "heartbeat" of his business, following his death after a physical altercation at the restaurant on Wednesday.

Police were called around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to the Cork & Flame on Portage Avenue and Golf Boulevard in the city's Kirkfield neighbourhood.

Kyriakos Vogiatzakis, 51, the owner of the restaurant, was rushed to hospital in critical condition but died, the Winnipeg Police Service said Thursday.

A male was located a short distance from the restaurant and taken into police custody but no charges have yet been laid.

"We're continuing to investigate at this point," police spokesperson Const. Jason Michalyshen said, adding he believes the incident happened just outside the business.

 "There was some contact initially made and things clearly escalated. We're [now] talking about the death of a member of our community. There's a family grieving and we want to get answers to them first and foremost."

Numerous police cruisers surrounded the business while the parking lot in front of the main entrance was blocked by yellow police tape for several hours on Wednesday. The scene was cleared up on Thursday morning.

'A sad day in our industry'

Police could not say yet if the incident is being investigated as a homicide. An autopsy will determine the exact cause of death.

For the time being, police are not releasing any specifics about what happened or what led up to Vogiatzakis's death.

More information will be released to the public as the investigation progresses, Michalyshen said.

However, Shaun Jeffrey, CEO of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, says restaurant owners have long been concerned over what they see as an increase in violence and crime.

Jeffrey, who said he's visited the Cork & Flame many times, described Vogiatzakis as the "heartbeat of that restaurant."

"Violent incidents like this are happening in our industry more and more. It's a sad day in our industry. We lost an amazing person [today]," he told CBC News.

Vogiatzakis was also the former owner of the MS River Rouge cruise ship that once plied Winnipeg's rivers.

His brother Mike Vogiatzakis posted a message on Facebook about the death but declined to be interviewed.

A note was posted on the Cork & Flame's front door on Thursday, saying it is closed "due to unforeseen circumstances."

Michalyshen said police have spoken with some witnesses but expect there are more, as it was a time of the day when people would be heading home from work or out for dinner.

"If there is someone we haven't had contact with — maybe drove by or maybe they were present but weren't able to stick around, or maybe at the time they didn't think anything of it, that it wasn't going to evolve into something as serious as this — we want them to come forward," he said.

Anyone with video surveillance or information that could help investigators is asked to call the police service's major crimes unit at 204-986-6219.

Anonymous tips can be left through Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or through the website.

Winnipeg police investigating restaurant owner's death following altercation

1 year ago

Duration 2:02

A Winnipeg restaurant owner is being remembered as the "heartbeat" of his business, following his death after a physical altercation at the restaurant on Wednesday.