Man, 36, dies after being shot by Winnipeg police on Anderson Avenue
Officers were responding to domestic violence call; woman in hospital, police say
A 36-year-old man was taken to hospital early Thursday morning and died after being shot by officers who were responding to a domestic violence 911 call, police say.
It was the second fatal police shooting in Winnipeg in less than 12 hours; a 16-year-old girl died after being shot by police around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smyth said he expects more than 12 officers will be temporarily pulled from their regular duties to help them deal with the aftermath of the two shootings.
"This has been a tragic 12-hour period of time for our community," he said. "This is an anomaly, or I certainly hope it is."
Officers got to a house on Anderson Avenue between Salter and Aikins streets around 4:38 a.m., and the man was shot around 5:10 a.m., Smyth said.
Police received a call from someone inside the house reporting a man armed with a gun, the chief said.
WATCH | Witness video from scene of police shooting:
Officers heard woman screaming: chief
When police got to the house, the door was locked, but officers heard a woman screaming and in distress inside, Smyth said.
He said officers forced their way in and found a man with a gun, a woman and a teenage girl.
Officers then left the house to de-escalate the situation, and the teenage girl escaped out the back door. Shortly after that, the man walked out the front door and confronted officers outside. That's when one of the officers shot the man, said Smyth.
The police chief said officers gave the man medical treatment before he was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
Smyth said he couldn't comment on whether the man pointed his gun at police, citing the ongoing investigation by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), which looks into serious incidents involving police in the province.
He also wasn't able to provide details about the relationship between the man killed by police and the woman injured inside the house. He was told the woman had serious injuries, including a broken arm, but said that was not confirmed.
No increase in domestic incidents during pandemic
Winnipeg Police Service spokesperson Const. Rob Carver said there hasn't been any significant increase in domestic violence incidents in the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The numbers aren't statistically different in any way," he said.
Zane Tessler, civilian director of the IIU, said the watchdog unit was informed about the shooting just before 6 a.m.
The unit is investigating this shooting and the one that killed a 16-year-old girl Wednesday evening. Tessler added it has been difficult to find resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"[It's] challenging on its own, and compounded with the COVID-19 influence now as well," he said.
Members of the homicide unit are also investigating the circumstances before the officer-involved shooting, police said.
On Thursday morning, a stretch of road in front of the house and part of the lane behind the house were blocked off with police tape.
WATCH | Holly Caruk's report on the shooting:
