'It's shocking': Male stabbed to death in Gimli, mayor says
Police say no outstanding safety concerns to public
The mayor of Gimli says police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a male in the community located on the west side of Lake Winnipeg.
"It's shocking to have this done in the middle of the day to a person who's local," Mayor Randy Woroniuk said. "I just assumed it was an accident, a fender-bender."
Gimli RCMP received a report Tuesday afternoon about an injured male in the small community of about 2,250 located in Manitoba's Interlake region. He later died.
RCMP said they are investigating a suspicious death and would not confirm how he died, saying only that "public safety is not a concern."
Police tape cordoned off an area alongside Second Avenue near Centre Street where a white tarp lay on the ground.
Woroniuk said the death has left the normally quiet town shaken. He said police blocked off an area near Centre Street, and said area residents are trying to make sense of what happened.
"Nothing like this ever happens. It's a quiet town," he said. "Everybody is feeling the same. This is not Gimli. This is a totally extraordinary event that has never happened before."
The lakeside community is a popular summertime tourist destination, with vacationers coming for its beaches as well as its annual Icelandic festival in early August.
with files from Austin Grabish and Janet Stewart