Two children hurt when bullet strikes car

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This article was published 01/08/2023 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two children were hurt Sunday night when a bullet hit a vehicle caught in the crossfire of a suspected drug dispute near a West End intersection.

Winnipeg Police Service spokeswoman Const. Dani McKinnon said the children, aged between 10 and 12, were injured by glass that shattered when the round hit a window.

The shooting happened while the vehicle was being driven near Maryland Street and Sargent Avenue at about 10 p.m.

“It’s certainly extremely alarming — unfathomable, really — to think you could be a victim of such a violent and potentially lethal act while you’re driving children down a street,” McKinnon said Tuesday.

Investigators do not believe the gunshot was intended for the vehicle, which was being driven by an adult caregiver.

McKinnon said police believe the shot was fired by a person in a different vehicle.

Police did not say whether the intended target was on foot or in a vehicle, nor whether the drug dispute involved more than two people or groups.

Investigators were looking for witnesses and surveillance video to learn more.

“This is not a targeted incident,” said McKinnon. “Investigators do believe this is part of an ongoing drug conflict.”

McKinnon said the children and the adult were traumatized by the incident.

The kids were treated for minor injuries at Children’s Hospital and released.

Police are seeking at least one suspect.

The WPS helicopter and a canine unit were involved in a search Sunday night.

Police did not say what type of firearm is believed to have been used. The WPS forensics unit is investigating.

Community outreach worker and safety activist Mitch Bourbonniere said the shooting happened at a time when there is a drug addiction crisis in Winnipeg and a lot of “stress” for marginalized residents.

“There’s a lot of drugs happening and that means there’s a lot of business happening (for dealers), and if there’s a lot of business happening that means there’s conflict,” he said.

Based on outreach work in the city’s core, Bourbonniere said there appears to be more drug use and a rising number of overdoses. Dealers are profiting from the situation, he said.

“The market for drugs is growing because of root causes and not keeping up with (supports).”

McKinnon said these types of shootings are rare in Winnipeg, although there have been some incidents where homes were hit by stray bullets in recent months.

In October 2005, an innocent 17-year-old boy was fatally shot near Maryland and Sargent, when he was caught in the crossfire of a drug turf war.

Phil Haiart was crossing the road when a gunman fired shots at rival gang members. A 25-year-old man who was with the teen survived after being shot in the arm.

The death sparked public outrage and led to a swift crime crackdown called Operation Clean Sweep, which resulted in hundreds of arrests. Operation Clean Sweep later became a full-time street crime unit within the WPS.

In 2019, the street crime unit was restructured to the guns and gang unit.

In 2022, the WPS averaged a report of a gun-related call every 3.7 hours, or six per day, according to the latest annual data report.

There were 2,341 calls last year, a drop of about 14 per cent compared with 2021.

The number of actual firearm crimes logged by the WPS (444 in 2022) decreased by nine per cent year-to-year.

Police also reported fewer drug crimes. The 2022 total of 412 was almost 22 per cent lower than that of 2021.

Detectives from the major crimes unit are investigating Sunday’s shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching