Latest death breaks Winnipeg homicide record By: Tyler Searle and Gabrielle Piché Posted: 1:56 PM CDT Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 Last Modified: 5:18 PM CDT Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 Updates

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A 21-year-old man is dead after a Saturday morning shooting, cementing 2022 as the deadliest year in Winnipeg’s history.

The man, who police have not identified, becomes the 45th person slain since January, breaking the previous record of 44 homicides set in 2019, according to Winnipeg Police Service data.

Around 2:20 a.m. Saturday morning, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 200 block of McDermot Avenue, the WPS said in a Saturday press release.

When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound in his upper body. First responders provided medical care before transporting the victim to the hospital in critical condition. He later died of his injuries.

Police have not made any arrests and are investigating the death, they said.

“It’s too early to mention any kind of motives or any (gang) affiliation here for this homicide,” noted Claude Chancy, a Winnipeg Police Service constable.

The shooting is another in a spate of violent acts that have wracked Winnipeg streets, the latest of which occured last week.

“We certainly have seen an increase of violent crime in Winnipeg,” Chancy said. “The numbers of… homicides that we are currently experiencing is sort of a reflection of that trend.”

Winnipeg’s year-end homicide count was 43 in both 2021 and 2020. This year’s total more than doubles the 22 homicides of 2018.

Chancy declined to comment on why Winnipeg has seen a record number of homicides this year.

“That’s a loaded question,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to answer that.”

He wouldn’t speculate on how many homicides might occur in the city by New Year’s Day.

“Right now, we definitely want to bring attention to the fact that there are many people that are suffering from the trauma of losing a loved one,” Chancy said. “We just need to keep aware that the safety of the public is of utmost importance.”

Saturday’s homicide doesn’t mark a shocking milestone, according to Kelly Gorkoff, the University of Winnipeg’s criminal justice department chair.

“Right now, we definitely want to bring attention to the fact that there are many people that are suffering from the trauma of losing a loved one… We just need to keep aware that the safety of the public is of utmost importance.”–Claude Chancy, WPS constable.

“I’d argue (this year’s number is) part of a trend that has been in the making for quite some time,” Gorkoff wrote in an email. “(It’s) a record that could be interrupted.”

Between 2010 and 2020, Winnipeg averaged an annual 28 homicides, Gorkoff said. Statistics Canada data show 45 homicide victims in Winnipeg in 2021, she noted.

“Social determinants of homicide are more apparent in Winnipeg,” she wrote.

Child poverty, colonialism, cost of living, lack of access to affordable housing and substance abuse services, and lack of access to community supports and health care are among the drivers of crime, Gorkoff said.

Homicide rates have jumped significantly in the past several years, said Michael Weinrath, a University of Winnipeg criminal justice professor.

Still, homicides are statistically rare and often patterned, he said.

“We always have a lot of homicides that are gang related or drug related,” Weinrath noted.

“You need to make significant investments to people, to vulnerable individuals”–Michael Weinrath, UW criminal justice professor

Around 25 to 30 per cent of such deaths are gang- or drug-related, he said. Homicides often occur between people who know each other, and they tend to be concentrated among lower income groups, he said.

“They often involve substance abuse on the part of the perpetrator, (and) often on the part of the victim as well,” Weinrath said.

The increased number of homicides links to broader social issues like homelessness, drug addiction and mental health struggles, Weinrath said. Isolation during the pandemic likely contributes, he added.

“You need to make significant investments to people, to vulnerable individuals,” Weinrath said.

He noted a recent slew of provincial government announcements. The Progressive Conservatives have pledged more than $20 million for crime prevention, improving addictions services and funding safety initiatives, among other things, in the past week.

“We understand the need for law enforcement, (but)…. I don’t know that you can police your way out of serious crime,” Weinrath said.

Before Saturday, Winnipeg’s latest homicide occurred on Halloween.

Around 2:30 a.m., Winnipeg police responded to reports of an assault in the 100 block of Johnson Avenue West, just east of Henderson Highway

Officers found 47-year-old William Markowski unresponsive near a home and provided medical care before he was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

He later died.

“We want to make sure that everybody in the world knows that he was an amazing human — he was loved so deeply,” a cousin of Markowski said during a phone interview on Wednesday. “He had one of those laughs that… would just bring joy to everyone,”

Police confirmed Markowski had been assaulted, but they did not provide details on his injuries.

A week prior, on Oct. 24, Lionel Sherwin Colombe, 35, was found dead beneath a cargo truck parked in the 130 block of Clyde Road.

Police have since arrested and charged Desmond Arthur Paul Houle, 25, of Winnipeg, Miles Nicholas Batenchuk, 24, of Berens River, and a 16-year-old male from Winnipeg with second-degree murder.

Another man, Nathan Michael Bruce, 22, of Winnipeg, was also charged with second-degree murder and on a warrant out of Berens River for failing to comply with a probation order.

Police confirmed the four suspects knew eachother but would not say whether knew the victim.

This year’s number is of obvious concern to police, Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jay Murray told the Free Press in October.

“That’s a lot of pain to families, members of the community, people who knew these victims. On the other side, it’s required a lot of work, homicide investigations tend to be very resource-intensive, starting from the initial (officers) that are dispatched,” he said.

“It’s been very taxing on our service and we still have two months to go — we don’t know what that will bring, but certainly, the number is very concerning.”

Police ask anyone with information to contact investigators at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

—With files from Erik Pindera

tyler.searle@winnipegfreepress.com

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com