Man facing lengthy list of charges after three WPS officers shot in North End standoff

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This article was published 12/02/2024 (666 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man has been charged after three city police officers were shot and wounded in a North End apartment Saturday.

It was the first shooting of Winnipeg Police Service officers in more than 15 years.

The officers, members of the WPS heavily armed tactical support team, were struck with pellets from a 12-gauge shotgun in an apartment block at 285 College Ave., shortly after police fired tear gas into the main-floor suite during an armed standoff.

One was hit in his chest and inner thigh, another was struck in his thigh and the third was hit in his forearm, Chief Danny Smyth said at a news conference Monday. All three were taken to hospital in stable condition and released Saturday.

“I think physically, the members are going to be just fine, relatively minor injuries,” said Smyth, who added he spoke with their supervising officer on the weekend. “The fact that they were shot, unexpectedly, through a door, through a wall — we will certainly do our best to support them and navigate any of the stressors that come with dealing with an event like that.

“I’m told they’re all coping well.”

Police were sent to the scene of an armed robbery and home invasion at a home on the 300 block of Boyd Avenue at 6:15 a.m. Friday.

A 40-year-old man was shot in the lower body by one of three male suspects. He was transported to hospital in unstable condition and later upgraded to stable. The suspects fled before police arrived, and a 25-year-old woman was believed to have been forcibly removed by the suspects.

Police learned early Saturday that the woman was believed to be inside the apartment block on College Avenue and that one of the three suspects might be there. Two suspects, a 46-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, exited after police arrived at about 3:10 a.m. Saturday.

The woman believed to have been abducted the day before also exited. Police learned she was there of her own free will, said Smyth.

Two suspects refused to leave, Smyth said. After police used tear gas to try to get them out of the suite at about 9:40 a.m., the suspects fired several shots, through the door and wall.

The three officers who were struck were in the apartment hallway at the time. Two returned gunshots as they retreated to a stairwell.

The suspects also shot at a police vehicle through a window.

A suspect surrendered to police in the hallway at about 10:10 a.m., and the other, a 50-year-old, was arrested hiding within the suite after a police dog located him.

Police found a 12-gauge shotgun, a .22-calibre rifle and various types of ammunition inside the suite.

Jeremy James Kayseas, 43, of Winnipeg, has been charged with a lengthy list of offences, including assault causing bodily harm, discharging a firearm with intent, possession of methamphetamine, wearing a disguise with intent and multiple firearms charges.

Smyth said Kayseas, who lived in the College Avenue suite, may face more charges once investigators interview the wounded police officers.

A 50-year-old man, the 46-year-old man and the 30-year-old woman, all from Winnipeg, are facing drug and gun-related charges. All three were released on undertakings.

Kayseas has a lengthy record and was subject to two court orders banning him from possessing weapons, court records show.

His record dates to 2004, when he was found guilty of an assault. He has also been convicted of various court-order breaches, four other assaults, drug possession and resisting a peace officer.

Winnipeg Police Association vice-president Jeremy Cull said the union is relieved that the officers were not seriously injured or killed and that the standoff came to an end without a loss of life.

“These incidents are a reminder of the dangers faced by police officers and the importance of having properly trained, equipped and resourced police members who can handle these dangerous situations properly,” Cull said, adding that the three officers are recovering at home.

In December 2006, Daniell Anderson opened fire from the bathroom of his Jubilee Avenue home at three police officers who were executing a drug warrant, seriously wounding the trio.

Anderson, who was found guilty of attempted murder and discharging a firearm with intent to injure in 2008, was sentenced to 14 years behind bars in 2009.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca