U of M student attacked while sleeping in residence

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/10/2024 (351 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Students were on high alert Friday after learning an intruder entered a housing complex on the University of Manitoba campus and assaulted a sleeping woman during the early morning hours.

The city police sex crimes unit has launched an investigation into the incident, which occurred around 4:45 a.m. at the Arthur V. Mauro Residence at 120 Dafoe Rd.

“This was a very random occurrence. This individual I believe was sleeping in the protection of their own residence within that complex, so we are treating it with great concern,” Winnipeg Police Service Const. Dani McKinnon said.

“An intruder entered her room and physically assaulted her. She managed to fight off the suspect, calling for help.”

Campus security was alerted and the suspect fled before police arrived. The victim was treated for injuries and was in stable condition Friday afternoon, McKinnon said.

Although police have not confirmed a possible motive, the sex crimes unit is leading the investigation because it involved “late hours, a female victim and a serious assault took place,” McKinnon said.

Police could not provide specifics about how the intruder managed to bypass any security measures that may have been in place within the residence, saying the investigation is in its early stages.

The Mauro building is six storeys tall and can house up to 316 students in 155 suites, according to the university’s website.

McKinnon said the victim’s suite was not on the building’s main floor.

City police called a news conference just hours after the attack to issue a “public advisory” and distribute photos of the suspect, who was captured on surveillance cameras.

He is described as an adult, 5-10 to 6 feet in height, with unkempt facial hair and long unkempt hair. He was wearing a black tuque, a grey hooded sweater and a black jacket. He might have been wearing blue jeans and black shoes, and was carrying a black and blue backpack.

“We want to find out who this suspect is,” McKinnon said, adding he is “believed to possibly be an unhoused individual.”

McKinnon noted such attacks are uncommon at the university, and investigators are working closely with the school’s administration and security services.

The U of M said in an email to the university community it is increasing security on campus for the immediate future.

“Please continue to take steps to ensure your personal safety, including locking doors and being mindful of access points,” the email said.

“We recognize that incidents like this can be unsettling.”

News of the attack sparked concern at the university, where plainclothes detectives were seen entering the Mauro Residence and speaking with students.

“I was shocked. You don’t really expect that to happen,” said first-year university student Hailey Sanderson.

She stays at another student housing complex on campus, just steps away from where the attack occurred.

The doors in the campus residence buildings are typically locked and students must scan in before they enter. However, it is possible for people to enter the building by waiting for somebody else to open the door and then following them inside, she said.

Sanderson has been on campus only a few months and had to call security once when an intoxicated man knocked on her door and attempted to enter her room. Sanderson said she believed the person was another student.

Student services gave her the option to change her suite or the floor she stays on after the incident, she said.

“Students deserve to feel safe everywhere, but especially on residence,” University of Manitoba Student Union president Divya Sharma said.

“When you call this university your home and someone unknown can come in any time into your house and assault you, that is incorrect.”

A women’s self-defence program was introduced on campus this year. The union hopes to expand the program, which has been “jam-packed” with participants, Sharma said.

“Women, we all pretty much grow up and we are told that we have to watch out for those things and we also experience things that make us (feel unsafe),” Damarah Juba, another first-year student, said of the assault.

Juba lives off campus, but said student housing is typically occupied by international students or people travelling to Winnipeg to attend university — many of whom may not have immediate access to family or other supports.

“Some people don’t have anything, so if something happens they are feeling alone or scared,” she said.

Between Dec. 1, 2023 and Aug. 30, seven assaults, seven break-and-enter incidents and 35 trespassers have been reported on the U of M campus, data from the school’s security services shows.

Sharma, who has spent two years at the school, said it is not uncommon to see people who are not students roaming around or loitering inside bus shelters.

She has never heard of somebody breaking into a residence, she said.

The union president echoed students’ concerns about violence, referencing another random incident Tuesday in which a student was robbed on campus.

Police said two suspects approached an 18-year-old stranger sitting on a park bench around 8:45 p.m. and attacked him with bear spray before stealing his personal property and fleeing.

Sharma said the victim made it to a nearby building, where student union staff spent two hours helping him wash his face of the noxious spray. Some of his stolen property was recovered.

Officers arrested two suspects at a home on the 600 block of Pasadena Avenue. A 19-year-old man and 16-year-old boy have each been charged with robbery and mischief under $5,000.

The student union has been liaising with school administration on a biweekly basis and is calling for increased security measures, UMSU vice president Rachhvir Dhaliwal said.

She said the union was pleased the university would immediately bolster security after the attacks.

“We recognize that this is a short-term solution, but we continue to advocate for the safety of students here and continue to bring up these concerns,” Dhaliwal said.

Police are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect from Friday’s attack to contact the sex crimes unit at 204-986-6245, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8377 (TIPS) or online.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca