Mother living in fear after shots fired into her house

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This article was published 12/08/2025 (229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba mother told the Free Press her family is living in fear after gunshots were fired into her house and a camping trailer while they slept early Saturday morning.

With no one arrested as of Monday, Rebecca Taylorson said she and her husband, Clayton, and their kids have temporarily moved out of their rural home near MacGregor, about 100 kilometres west of Winnipeg, and don’t plan to return until they feel safe.

“I’m running with my family because I’m scared to go home,” she told the Free Press. “I’m exhausted. I’m very emotional. You think, ‘Where do we go from here? How do I keep my family safe?’”

The Taylorsons were thankful no one was injured. Four of their five children, ages five to 20, were home at the time.

Two of the kids were sleeping next to Rebecca Taylorson in the parents’ bedroom when she was awakened by a noise, which she thought was a gunshot, at about 2 a.m.

“I woke up and I didn’t know if it was real or not,” she said. “You think, ‘Is this a nightmare or is this happening for real?’”

The children next to her were still asleep. Unsure of the circumstances, Taylorson “army crawled” on the floor while she collected two other children, who were sleeping elsewhere in the house, and brought them to her bedroom, she said.

Taylorson discovered a bullet hole in a living room window when she came out of the room after sunrise a few hours later.

She alerted her husband, who was away, and called 911. She estimated it took about two hours for an RCMP officer to arrive.

Taylorson was frustrated by the response and pace of the investigation, given no one had been arrested.

She said one shot went through a living room window and blinds before piercing a pillow and chair.

“It left fluff all over where my son usually falls asleep,” Taylorson said.

The Taylorsons didn’t know a second shot was fired until a neighbour told them they heard another bang after being awakened by the first one.

Clayton Taylorson checked the house for a second bullet hole after he returned home, finding no additional damage.

He said his wife discovered a hole in the camper while an RCMP forensic officer was on scene to take photographs and collect evidence.

“It’s really hard to put a feeling in this situation into words. I have a lot of anger,” he said.

The bullet went through the camper’s bunk bed area and walls, Rebecca Taylorson said.

She believes the shots were fired from a gravel road in front of their home, located in the Municipality of North Norfolk.

In a news release, Manitoba RCMP said officers from the Portage la Prairie detachment and forensic identification services continue to investigate.

“They keep telling us they’re doing all they can,” Clayton Taylorson said.

He said his family is looking for a temporary place to stay.

“I think anybody else would be doing the same thing,” he said.

Anyone with information or surveillance video is asked to call police at 204-857-4445. People can provide anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 or via the organization’s website.

Rebecca Taylorson shared details of the shooting in a social-media post Monday morning to notify local residents and appeal for information or video.

“My kids and I were home when the shots took place and I have never been so terrified,” she wrote. “My stomach hurts just thinking of what could have happened.”

Her husband said the post, which was shared almost 900 times by Monday evening, led to an outpouring of support and concern from community members.

“They want to see justice as much as we do,” he told the Free Press.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca