Shot teen 'in good spirits': dad

The teenage girl who was shot during a violent weekend in Winnipeg is recovering well in hospital, says her father.

Don Stevenson told CBC News that his 13-year-old daughter Samantha needed surgery to repair the damage the bullet caused.

He said doctors had to remove a portion of her intestines and some of her stomach muscles to repair the damage.

"She's in a lot of pain but she's a strong girl and she'll get better," Stevenson said. "It hit her liver but it never did damage to her liver. She's very lucky it didn't pierce her liver."

Samantha is in good spirits but worries she won't be able to continue martial arts classes, which she really wants to do, Stevenson added.

'She's in a lot of pain but she's a strong girl and she'll get better.' —Don Stevenson

He said he feels bad for the other families who lost loved ones and hopes the police will soon be able to find the shooter.

Samantha was struck by a bullet on Saturday when she was walking with friends in the 200 block of Stella Walk in the city's North End. A man dressed in black approached a group of area kids and asked if they wanted to buy marijuana, a family member told CBC News on Sunday.

When they refused, he opened fire, hitting Samantha in the abdomen. The terrified children then banged on the door of a nearby home to get help while the shooter took a bicycle from another home and rode off, witnesses told CBC News.

Two other shootings followed soon after — outside a home in the 400 block of Dufferin Avenue, then outside a home in the 400 block of Boyd Avenue.

A man was killed in each of those incidents: family members and friends of the victims said Tommy Beardy, 35, was killed on Dufferin and Ian Layton MacDonald, 52, died in the Boyd shooting.

The shootings all happened in a 35-minute span between 8:40 and 9:15 p.m.

Residents welcome command unit

Winnipeg police have set up a mobile command unit on Selkirk Avenue in the North End, flooding the area with foot and vehicle patrols and trying to bring a sense of calm to the rattled neighbourhood.

Police still do not know if they are searching for more than one shooter and whether the incidents are connected. But Chief Keith McCaskill said the force is putting all available resources into the investigation. 

As daylight started to break Tuesday, morning commuters gave thumbs up as they passed by the unit, which will be headquarters for anywhere from 15 to 20 officers.

"They're saying that it's about time, that they need more of a police presence here," said CBC reporter Meaghan Ketcheson.

Police are hoping the unit makes it easier for people to provide officers with any tips or other information related to the shootings. People in the area, however, say anonymity will be the key to getting people to open up.

'You know, it's just not safe in this area. Too many people are getting knifed and shot and killed.'—Christine Delorme

Street gangs are rampant in the area and no one wants to risk their lives going on the record, several people told CBC News.

"You know, it's just not safe in this area. Too many people are getting knifed and shot and killed," said Christine Delorme, who was recently mugged.

She lives and works near the location of the command unit and hopes police plan to stay in the area for the long term, even after the shootings are solved.

Those hopes were echoed by Derrick Burke, who grew up in the neighbourhood and still works there. He said there simply isn't enough of a police presence on a regular basis.

"Even when I come to work early in the morning, very seldom I see a police car. And more police presence in this part of town would probably make a big difference," he said.