police – Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg police shot and killed a man outside a bus stop in a West Winnipeg shopping district on Sunday after police said he stabbed an officer in the neck.

The fatal police shooting is now in the hands of the state’s police watchdog, and the acting police chief has urged the public not to jump to conclusions.

In the video widely circulated on social media, two officers were seen shooting a man coming out of a shelter at the Unicity shopping mall after he shouted at him to drop his gun.

The video released Sunday does not show an officer being stabbed, and WPS says it does not reflect the entire incident.

It was stated that the injured police officer, a senior member of the police force, was taken to hospital and his condition is stable. The man who was shot was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.

The Winnipeg Police Service held a rare weekend press conference about the incident late Sunday night. Acting Chief Art Stannard called it “a very tragic incident.”

He said the officer was stabbed in the throat “with a sharp-edged weapon” while interacting with the man near the bus stop.

He said the injured officer was in good condition and helped perform CPR on the dying man despite his injuries.

WPS said the officers involved were in the area as part of an attempted retail theft.

After violence broke out around 5:09 p.m., WPS received an emergency radio transmission from plainclothes retail theft officers stating that an officer had been stabbed and the suspect was on the ground.

“This message is one we never, ever want to receive,” Stannard said.

The acting police chief said he could not share many details about what led to the violence or how officers working the burglary cases became involved with the dead man because the incident is currently under investigation by the Manitoba Independent Investigations Unit. He said his message to the public is not to pass judgment without knowing all the facts.

Asked if he was concerned that videos of the shootings posted on social media would lead to negative judgments against police, Stannard said:

“I’m concerned that this only shows part of the story.”

The province announced on November 14 that the crime-fighting initiative was being made permanent. The program has won the support of business owners struggling with increased shoplifting and threats of violence.

In the video, police officers are seen with their guns drawn. They shouted at the man to drop “the ax or the knife.” In the video, when the man takes a step towards the officers, the officers immediately fire multiple shots.

The attack occurred at 5:09 p.m. at Unicity, a commercial area consisting of separate buildings on West Portage Boulevard.

A shopper told me Free Press As he was walking to his vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, which is part of the shopping area, he heard what he initially thought were fireworks.

The Westwood resident, who asked to remain anonymous as Jennifer, said she later saw two police officers with guns while a man was on the ground. He described the incident as shocking, saying incidents like this were unusual in his neighborhood.

“Unfortunately, the crime rate in our city is increasing rapidly and the police are forced to take precautions, so I support the police. “There’s a lot of crime in this city and I think they’re doing the best they can,” he said.

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