11 homicides in 30 days 'is unprecedented for us as a police service, as a city'

Winnipeg has had 11 homicides in the past 30 days, bringing the year's total to 40, and leaving police straining to deal with it all.

"This is unprecedented for us as a police service, as a city," police spokesperson Const. Rob Carver said on Tuesday.

"We are pulling in all sorts of resources in all sorts of areas. Everyone is feeling this … from [communication] centre staff to general patrol to investigators to forensic services.

"It's now affecting everybody and you can see it in the hallways."

The 40th homicide — one shy of the record set in 2011 — came late Monday night.

Officers went to a home off Tim Sale Drive, in the South Pointe neighbourhood, around 11:45 p.m., after receiving reports that a man had been shot. When they arrived, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said he did not live at the house, but it wasn't a break-in.

No other information is being released at this time but the violence had police once again shaking their heads.

"Everybody has their shoulders to the wheel and doing what they need to do [to handle the caseload]," Carver said.

"An unbelievable amount of resources is being devoted not only [to the latest homicide] but over the past two months of just making sure we can lay charges and they stick in court.

"There are Herculean efforts being pulled to make sure this is happening."

The latest case is being investigated by the major crimes unit because the homicide unit is too busy.

Police urge anyone with information about the shooting in South Pointe to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).