Police safely detonate bomb found while investigating homicide

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This article was published 16/09/2023 (769 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police discovered a makeshift bomb while investigating the scene of a homicide Friday evening, prompting the emergency evacuation of an apartment in the Earl Grey area.

Around 5:45 p.m., homicide investigators were on scene at 635 Mulvey Ave. when they discovered an improvised explosive device, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Jason Michalyshen said by phone Saturday.

“Members of our bomb unit were called out immediately and they examined it further,” he said, adding the device was found to be live, so police evacuated the building and executed a controlled demolition of the explosive.

“To move it was concerning and did pose a public safety risk, so we were able to disrupt that device on the scene.”

Michalyshen confirmed nobody was injured as a result of the detonation, but did not know whether the apartment was damaged.

Damion Wayne Skrumeda, 46, was shot to death inside the building Wednesday night.

At this point in the investigation, it is unclear who built the explosive, why it was in the apartment and whether it is connected to the slaying, Michalyshen said.

“We are certainly looking at that possibility…. Once our investigation moves forward and we have a few more answers, we will provide that information,” he said.

The incident is the latest in a series of recent investigations involving explosives in Winnipeg — a trend Michalyshen called concerning.

These improvised weapons can range from Molotov cocktails — incendiary explosives typically created by placing a wick in a glass bottle full of flammable liquid — to more complex devices containing projectiles and having the capacity to be remotely detonated, he said.

Specifics about the type of device found in the apartment were not available, but Michalyshen said he does not believe it was a Molotov cocktail.

“I think the perception is… we have been addressing and acknowledging these types of incidents a little more than normal,” he said. “We have individuals, for reasons that are unknown at this point, that are willing to put themselves at risk and compromise other people’s safety when they are putting these types of devices together,”

The police spokesperson said it may be possible suspects are finding greater access to information and materials used in the development of explosives.

On three occasions between June 21 and Aug. 21, police were sent to a home in the 100 block of Wordsworth Way to probe suspicious circumstances involving explosive devices.

Investigators believe a suspect had been targeting a homeowner in the neighbourhood. Some of the devices were detonated, but nobody was injured.

Nearby residents reported finding debris littering nearby properties. One couple recovered what they believed to be remnants of a pipe bomb, sharing photos of the device with the Free Press.

Subsequent searches of a home in the 200 block of Harcourt Street recovered “Various items associated with manufacturing explosive devices,” police said.

Last week, police charged Aaron Colby Lavallee, 30, with possession of cocaine and methamphetamine, three counts of causing an explosion likely to cause bodily harm, death or serious damage; three counts of unlawful possession of explosives and 13 counts of failing to comply with conditions of a release order.

In August, police received a tip that a tenant was keeping Molotov cocktails in a suite on the 400 block of Redwood Avenue.

Investigators found four Molotov cocktails and an an unspecified quantity of kerosene in the apartment. The tenant was arrested and the bomb unit removed the explosives.

Police charged Brendan Hines, 34, with four counts of unlawful possession of explosives and four counts of failure to comply with the conditions of a release order.

Police have asked anyone with information on any of the incidents, including possible video surveillance, to call investigators at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca