‘Murder mansion’ site of city’s 22nd homicide of year

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This article was published 30/08/2023 (770 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s latest homicide victim was killed inside a building that has been the site of significant violence in recent years, earning it an infamous reputation among West End residents.

“We call this the ‘murder mansion,’” said Lawrence, pointing toward a three-storey apartment at 583 Furby St., where Cory Roger Roulette, 38, was shot and killed Aug. 26.

“You should come by at night and take a look at this place… I wouldn’t go in there without a bulletproof vest.”

The man, who asked to withhold his last name, has lived near the apartment building for roughly 15 years. It has long been a source of trouble in the neighbourhood, and recently, things have become worse, he said.

At least three times a month, Winnipeg Police Service investigators knock on his door seeking footage from security cameras he has mounted on the exterior of his building — including a visit hours after Roulette was killed, Lawrence said.

According to a WPS news release, officers responded to reports of a shooting in a multi-room residence on the 500 block of Furby Street, where they found a man (later identified as Roulette) unresponsive, with a gunshot wound.

Patrol officers provided emergency medical care before an ambulance arrived. Roulette was taken to hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries.

A WPS spokesperson said Wednesday there were no further details available.

Roulette is the 22nd person slain in Winnipeg this year.

On Wednesday, roses, candles and photos were plastered to a tree in front of the apartment — the remains of a vigil held in his honour the night before.

The victim’s sister, Stephanie Noriega, said Roulette was living in a suite inside the building. The building’s owner confirmed the man was killed inside.

“It is very hard for us as a family knowing how my brother was taken,” Noriega said in a message to the Free Press.

Lawrence watched from his front yard Aug. 26, as police and forensic investigators worked inside the apartment. It’s a sight he said he has seen several times in recent years.

In December 2022, Daniel Michael George Cook, 29, was shot and killed within the same building. Tyler Alexander Severight, 26, was later charged with second-degree murder.

In May, a 31-year-old man was found suffering from upper-body stab wounds and laying in the building’s hallway. He was transported to the hospital unstable condition but upgraded to stable.

Tyrus Mann, 23, was later charged in the incident, along with another unrelated stabbing and second-degree murder.

“I’m praying to God… they board it up and that’s it because, if not, and they continue to go down the road they’re going, somebody else is going to end up dead here,” Lawrence said, adding he is concerned the locks on the building do not work.

The front door of the apartment building was locked Wednesday, but the doors on at least the first two levels of the rear fire escape were unsecured, allowing people to enter without a key.

The Free Press visited the apartment in April. At the time, the building’s exterior doors were unsecured, with the locks on both the front and rear doors broken. Several people were sleeping in the hallways.

The WPS homicide unit has assumed the investigation into Roulette’s slaying.

Police are asking anyone with information to call investigators at 204-986-6508, Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477, or online at winnipegcrimestoppers.org.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca