A 34-year-old father of three, Darcy Douglas Coutu, has been identified by police as the victim of a drive-by shooting early Saturday morning at Quality Inn and Suites at 635 Pembina Highway.
He was out at the Winn City Pub patio around 2 a.m. when police said he was shot multiple times from a small car which was driving by.
Darcy Douglas Coutu: victim of a drive-by shooting
Police said they are still investigating if Coutu was the intended target of the shooting.
Police say Coutu and has no gang association was shot to death during a drive-by shooting on the patio of a Pembina Highway hotel early Saturday morning.
But Winnipeg police said the victim may have had friends who were affiliated with gangs.
"At this point, investigators believe it was likely not random, but it is yet to be determined if he was the target," police spokeswoman Const. Jacqueline Chaput said.
She said it appears the shots were fired by a passing small car.
An autopsy is scheduled for Monday to determine the exact cause of death and how many times the victim was shot.
Chaput said the victim is not familiar to Winnipeg police.
The shooting took place on the outdoor patio bar at the Quality Inn and Suites at 635 Pembina Hwy. in Fort Rouge shortly after 2 a.m.
By mid-morning, Winnipeg police officers continued to interview witnesses at the downtown Public Safety Building, while identification officers were at the scene gathering evidence.
A large pool of blood, mixed with shattered glass from the patio enclosure, was on the floor at the corner of the patio, near Carter Avenue and Arbuthnot Street.
Two distinct bullet holes could be seen shot through the windows of the hotel's lounge, called Winn City Pub, while another bullet entry point could be seen above the window in the stucco.
Chaput said the man was hit by "a number of gunshot wounds." The man was rushed to hospital in critical condition, and was pronounced dead a short time later.
The police spokeswoman said no other patrons were injured during the incident. No arrests have been made.
A sign on the doors to the lounge yesterday morning said it was closed. The hotel itself was still open, with some guests looking through windows above the scene.
Winn City's manager said the man who was shot was not a regular at the bar.
The manager, who was inside when the shooting occurred, said he was alerted to trouble when a pack of people started rushing into the bar from the patio.
The man who was shot had been at the bar with a large group of people, the manager said, but most of the victim's friends left before the shooting occurred.
When the manager went out onto the patio, he saw a dark-haired man lying face down.
"I went to investigate what all the fuss was about," the manager said. "My first thing was to call 911. We don't normally have anything like that. It's a brand new situation for us."
There were no altercations in the bar earlier in the evening, he said, and he did not recognize anyone in the group the victim was with.
"(Some) of the staff are probably a little shaken up," said the bar manager, who did not want his name published.
Winn City was open again on Saturday night.
Diana Soroka, spokeswoman for the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission, said one of their investigators has already talked to the licensee, who is co-operating.
"We are doing a preliminary investigation, but it really is a police investigation right now," she said. "If the licensee was negligent or violated the Liquor Control Act, we will go further in our investigation."
Soroka said one of the things the MLCC looks at is how secure the premises are.
Yellow police tape roped off a portion of Arbuthnot and Carter streets.
Neighbours expressed shock at the shooting in their neighbourhood.
Robert McInnes said he and his wife were suddenly awakened when four shots rang out.
"We jumped out of bed and went to the window," McInnes said.
"We saw them working on a person. They were giving him CPR. Two people were hunched down with him."
McInnes said the hotel's manager has been upgrading the business during the last year and the patio was an addition last summer. McInnes said up until now, there have been no incidents at the hotel to be concerned about.
"The manager was quite worried and talked to the immediate neighbours assuring us it would be a quiet place with no loud music. We said it was OK with us.
"But now I'll be talking to the manager."
Police would not say why they directed a towing company to tow an Oldsmobile Aurora parked on Carter. Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call police at 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477).
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
The Free Press wants to know more about the shooting, especially the man who died.If you have details, call 697-7292 or email city.desk@freepress.mb.ca
Series of incidents
Violence at Winnipeg bars:
. May 10, 2008: A 34-year-old
man was gunned down in a driveby
shooting on the patio of the
Quality Inn and Suites on Pembina
Highway.
. Nov. 2007: Jeff Engen, 24, was
stabbed to death inside the Empire
Cabaret on Main Street. The nightclub
has since closed.
. Oct. 2007: Four people were
injured during a shooting at the
Empire Cabaret on Main Street.
. July 22, 2007: Four people were
wounded outside the Metro Nitelife
hip-hop club on Garry Street when a
gunman opened fire.
. July 14, 2007: Two men suffered
gunshots wounds after police responded
to a fight outside the Alive
nightclub.
. May 4, 2007: A 25-year-old man
was shot outside the Marion Hotel
nightclub.
. Feb. 9, 2007: A 27-year-old man
was slashed in the face while on
the dance floor at the Jamaica Hall.
Moments later, a security guard was
shot as he stepped outside the club
at 1098 Winnipeg Ave.
. Dec. 24, 2006: Lester Gonzalez,
19, was fatally stabbed outside the
Empire Cabaret on Main Street.
. April 2006: Minh Hong Huynh,
24, died after being stabbed in the
neck outside Club Desire at 441
Main St.
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