‘When I close my eyes, I see him’ Health-care aide rushed to homicide victim’s side after shooting in St. James By: Chris Kitching Posted: 5:25 PM CST Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023

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This article was published 08/11/2023 (1044 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A health-care aide rushed to help a homicide victim — using a car’s airbag to apply pressure to his head wound — after he was shot in a St. James neighbourhood early Sunday.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she was enjoying a night out when victim Lawrence Pruden’s injured friend ran back to a pool hall to ask for help.

“I was 100 per cent focused on stopping the bleeding and helping him (Pruden),” she told the Free Press, while recounting the incident Wednesday.

The woman has been suffering flashbacks since then.

“I think about it all the time. Every time I’m awake,” she said. “When I close my eyes, I see him. I’m assuming I’m probably still in shock to some degree.”

“When I close my eyes, I see him. I’m assuming I’m probably still in shock to some degree.”

Pruden was fatally shot near Portage Avenue and Parkview Street at about 1 a.m, while he was out celebrating his birthday. He turned 27 on Saturday.

A man who was with him also suffered at least one gunshot wound. His condition was upgraded from critical to stable, the Winnipeg Police Service said.

Police have not disclosed a suspected motive. No one had been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson said.

The woman said Pruden and his friend were at Classics Billiards Bar and Grill on Portage Avenue when she arrived at about midnight.

Meeting the pair for the first time, she said they did a “birthday shot” together after the men told her they were celebrating Pruden’s birthday.

Pruden was live-streaming video on social media while he was in the bar, she said.

“They were really nice guys. Him and his buddy were having a good time,” the woman said.

It appeared the men knew some of the people in the bar, she said.

The woman didn’t notice any signs of trouble before the men paid their bill and left.

“There were no altercations, nothing,” she said. “About 10 to 15 minutes later, the buddy came running and said that his friend had been shot in the head.”

The woman said she went outside and saw a car that had crashed into the side of a parked vehicle on Parkview, just north of Portage.

The passenger side window had been “blown out” and the airbag was deployed, she said.

She didn’t see anyone in the passenger seat, so she went and checked the driver’s side. Finding no one there, she returned to the passenger side, lifted the airbag and found Pruden, who was unresponsive.

“I used the airbag to apply pressure to his head,” she said. “There were onlookers there already, and I yelled for them to go get me some towels from Classics.”

Police soon arrived while she attempted to stem the flow of blood and keep the man breathing. She continued to help him until paramedics arrived and took over.

Pruden later died of his injuries in hospital.

His loved ones have been waiting for answers about what happened.

Patricia Thompson-Parenteau, the mother of his eight-year-old son, described Pruden as her first love.

She said their son, heartbroken and grieving, asked her, “‘Why wasn’t that person (the shooter) thinking about me? Why take my dad away?’”

“We’re going to miss him so much,” said Thompson-Parenteau.

As she copes with the loss, she urged others to remember to tell people they’re loved.

“Keep your loved ones close, because you never know what’s going to happen,” she said.

“Keep your loved ones close, because you never know what’s going to happen.”–Patricia Thompson-Parenteau

After the shooting, the woman who helped Pruden was interviewed by homicide detectives at police’s downtown headquarters.

She’s been through a range of emotions, including anger, over the double shooting.

“It’s senseless,” she said.

She praised Winnipeg police officers and detectives who spoke to her afterward and put her in touch with victim services unit staff, in case she needs support following her experience.

“The emotions and trauma that follow violent incidents can be complex to navigate, both for victims and witnesses,” a police spokesperson wrote in an email.

Police’s website lists information and resources that could be helpful to witnesses or anyone requiring support.

The Manitoba Organization for Victim Assistance, which supports families of homicide victims, is among the organizations that opens its doors to traumatized witnesses of violent crimes, such as Sunday’s killing.

Executive director Karen Wiebe said it’s crucial to seek any necessary support.

“People can end up with PTSD and a number of emotional and mental difficulties because of that event,” said Wiebe, whose 20-year-old son, T.J., was murdered in January 2003. “The effects of it don’t go away in a day or a week or a year. That’s something that witnesses will carry with them for the rest of their life.”

Police are asking anyone with surveillance video or information about Sunday’s homicide to call detectives at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477.

— with files from Katie May

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca