Suspect in King Edward hostage situation dies from gunshot injuries

A 34-year-old man has died after being shot by Winnipeg police during a hostage situation Friday.

The man fled after police attempted to stop his vehicle and execute a warrant Friday morning, after he had rammed his car into the police vehicle before driving off. Police said the man had outstanding warrants and was reported to have a gun.

He was later seen in the King Edward neighbourhood and after a foot pursuit, police say he broke into a residence on the 400 block of King Edward Street. At 11:09 a.m., a man left the home and told first responders two teenage girls were being held hostage by the suspect.

One girl was rescued through a window, and after a fire was set inside the house, the second teenager was rescued. The suspect then left home brandishing a firearm and police shot him.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba is investigating the incident.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s public information office declined to comment on the aftermath of the incident Saturday, citing the IIU investigation.

On Saturday afternoon, several police vehicles and a forensic van remained outside of the home. Officers walked in and out of an area that remained blocked off with caution tape.

Neighbour David Newman works from home and was taking his car to a nearby auto shop when the hostage situation unfolded.

“Had that person broke in here, I would have been dead,” he said outside his home Saturday.

Newman said he has lived on the street for five years, and, excepting some petty robbery when he first moved in, he described the area as relatively quiet.

He said he was left shocked by the shooting and the suspect’s death, but described it as a side effect of a city that he described as having been “soft on crime” in recent years.

“If he’s wanted on an outstanding warrant in the first place, why is he not even in prison in the first place?” he said. “It’s irritating that these people are terrorizing us.”

The suspect and hostages did not know each other, police said Friday. The suspect was given first aid and taken to hospital by ambulance after the shooting. There were no other injuries.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca