Teens charged, staff rattled after reports of gunshots at Kildonan Place

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This article was published 18/04/2023 (877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was tense and confusing for workers at a store in the Kildonan Place mall as they hid from what they believed was an active shooter Monday afternoon.

“I walked outside my store because I was waiting for more customers. I saw two police officers walking toward me and one of them had (a rifle),” said the employee, who asked not to be named.

“I went to (a nearby store) and the manager said ‘close your door, there’s a man with a gun and the mall is not announcing it.’”

The incident involved an imitation firearm that was loaded with blanks; it was over within five minutes, WPS Const. Claude Chancy said Tuesday.

Mall staff had no idea what was happening. Some businesses locked their doors and staff sheltered in place, while others remained open, the employee said.

“Nobody knew what was going on in the mall, and then the cops (dressed in tactical gear) showed up, so that didn’t look very good. We were still thinking there was a person with a gun in the mall,” he said.

“I’m not happy with the way the mall handled it.”

A news release issued by Winnipeg police said officers responded to the 1500 block of Regent Avenue around 4:20 p.m. after receiving reports a man had been shot.

Multiple units, including tactical officers, were summoned. Upon arrival, they learned mall security had apprehended a 17-year-old male. The suspect, who was suffering from exposure to bear spray, was treated at the scene, police said.

Investigators learned two males, ages 16 and 17, were arguing outside the mall when the younger teen used bear spray on the older teen. The 17-year-old, who had an imitation firearm loaded with blanks, fired it at the 16-year-old, police said.

A witness who was in the mall when the altercation took place, said he heard what sounded like several gunshots, and people ran away.

The witness said security tackled a suspect and detained him in the parking lot until police arrived.

Chancy said an off-duty officer saw security staff struggling with the suspect and stepped in to help. The officer recovered an imitation firearm.

Officers later located the 16-year-old male suffering from minor, upper-body injuries. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Both teens have been charged with weapons offences.

The suspects were not known to each other, police said.

The unnamed employee said he and his colleagues hid in the back of their store for roughly a half-hour before they decided it was safe to come out.

Mall officials did not provide information following the incident, he said.

“I still have no idea what happened.”

Chancy said police could not comment on the response of mall security or administration.

“We are grateful that this incident came to a safe conclusion for our customers and tenants alike. We commend our security team, the off-duty police officer and the Winnipeg Police Service for their quick actions,” Sandra Hagenaars, mall general manager, wrote in an email.

Kildonan Place declined to clarify what happened in the moments after the incident, or whether the mall has a procedure for an active shooter.

“We have no further comment on this incident,” a spokesperson said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca