11°c A few clouds
18°c Sunny
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Homicide leaves family reeling
Attack in back lane claims man, 31
Police at the crime scene in the back lane of the 600 block of Sargent Avenue Thursday morning. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Related Items
Police work at crime scene. (WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
A brutal killing in Winnipeg on Thursday left blood spilled across a back alley and a family grieving for one of their own.
Relatives of Clarence Ross, 31, said they were reeling from the death of the young man, who was attacked in a Sargent Avenue back alley near Sherbrook Street.
At about 12:21 a.m., emergency officials rushed to the alley, which runs along the south side of Sargent behind a supermarket.
Police didn't identify the motive for the attack, but what happened left a messy scene that was scrutinized carefully by a forensics officer early Friday. A witness who lives in a nearby apartment building overlooking the alley said the man suffered head wounds that left him sprawled on the ground and bleeding. He was later pronounced dead at hospital, the city's 15th homicide victim of the year.
Family told media that Ross had no children and wasn't married.
"He loved his family," said Stanley Ross, a cousin of Clarence's.
He said he saw his cousin about twice a week in the core area.
Police said later Thursday they had a man and woman in custody after an investigation by the homicide unit.
Charges were pending, said police. The names of the accused were not released.
"I'm heartbroken," said an aunt of Ross, who didn't want her name used.
She said she was the last person to see him alive. "We don't know nothing. We're in the dark," she said.
Police didn't say how the man suffered his fatal injuries, but the witness -- who was interviewed at the Public Safety Building after the attack -- said he didn't hear any loud noises before a woman outside encountered the grisly scene.
He said he could hear a woman saying, "Oh my god," which caught his attention. However, it wasn't until he heard the sound of a police radio that he went to the window, and saw a bleeding man lying in the alley below.
"I couldn't recognize his face because of all the blood," he said.
The discovery meant the alley was flooded with people, said the witness, such as officers who looked under cars and along walls. The police helicopter illuminated the alley, he said, and he saw the victim wore track pants with a dark stripe down the side as well as a grey hoodie. Friday morning, a forensics officer examined the area near a large dark stain in the back alley, including a Pontiac Grand Prix parked next to where the stain was.
The area around where Ross was discovered has had its share of crime problems.
One resident said sex-trade workers use the back stairway with men who pay them, so the men's vehicles aren't impounded. And in April, 42-year-old Allan Frank Crockford died after he was shot to death on the 600 block of Maryland Street.
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 18, 2012 A11
History
Updated on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 9:43 AM CDT: Adds video
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 19 articles for today)
West Kildonan to get new spray pad in 2014
12:07 PM 0Residents in West Kildonan will have a new spray pad next year paid for by a $400,000 joint investment through ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- A new mom's booze-fuelled hell
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Links plan loses on scorecard
- Couple faces new charges of sexual assault
- The end of the credit card?
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Police identify slaying victims
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- 'Responsible Winnipeg' ads appear on sign run by mayor-owned Goldeyes' baseball park
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- U of M to chop $5M out of $642-M budget
- U of M researchers awarded $9.5M in grants, U of W $2.2M
- Manitoba appointees violate feds' rules
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- 'It's a beautiful story': There's not always a tomorrow to say you're sorry or make things right
- New main event confirmed at Winnipeg’s UFC 161 due to Barao injury
- Francophone paper turns 100, digitizes all editions
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Fishing for fashion
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Sex charges for ex-club boss
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Newly minted MD a beacon for kids in youth program
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
- Ochre Beach residents are 'thankful everybody got out'
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.