Gunshot wounded Balmoral homicide victim: police

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This article was published 02/04/2012 (5270 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police returned to the 200 block of Balmoral Street this morning to resume their investigation into the city’s ninth homicide of the year.

The body of Johnathen James Felix, 21, was discovered around 7:40 p.m. Saturday inside the fence of a house at 238 Balmoral. The body was removed Sunday.

In a news release Monday, police said the cause of death has not yet been determined, but Felix’s injuries were consistent with a gunshot wound.

It said investigators have not yet ruled out any possible drug or gang connection, although the slain man’s father, Chummy Fagnan, on Sunday told the Free Press his son had nothing to do with gangs.

Police identification unit officers were seen shortly after 11 a.m. Monday searching behind a three-storey apartment block in the area.

Three officers were spotted digging through piles of leaves and putting undisclosed items into large plastic bags.

A resident of the apartment block was overheard telling officers that he was waiting for detectives to arrive on scene to hand over a surveillance video from the block’s security camera.

Friends of the young victim had also written small tributes to Felix on the fence near where his body was found. They also had left a traditional aboriginal gift of tobacco, a witness said.

The 21-year-old recently graduated from high school in Victoria and had returned to Winnipeg to attend university.

A vigil for Felix is planned for 7 p.m. tonight, in front of the home where his body was found, at 238 Balmoral St.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact the homicide unit at 986-6508 or CrimeStoppers at 786-TIPS.