News briefs for Friday, August 4, 2023

Crews douse two afternoon fires

8:53 AM

Crews extinguished two structure fires late Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters were set to a multi-storey commercial building in the 600 block of Dawson Road North shortly before 5:30 p.m. and fought the blaze from inside. The fire was declared under control at 6:50 p.m.

Earlier, at 4:23 p.m., fire crews were sent to a single-storey home in the 100 block of Horton Avenue. They declared the fire under control nearly half an hour later.

No injuries were reported in either fire.

Passenger charged after disturbance on train

9:02 AM

A man is facing charges after a disturbance on a VIA Rail train west of Winnipeg more than a week ago.

Portage la Prairie RCMP were contacted at about 12:40 a.m. on July 28 about a man being violent on a train that had come to a stop there.

Rail employees told RCMP a man had been acting aggressively toward staff members, broke a window and stole a cellphone from another passenger. He was last seen grabbing his suitcase and walking off the train, the employees told police.

A 35-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested a short distance away. The stolen cellphone was not found, nor was his suitcase, RCMP said.

The man was released later that morning and is facing charges of theft under $5,000 and two counts of mischief. He’s scheduled to appear in court in Portage la Prairie on Oct. 17.

Third suspect charged in fatal 2022 assault

1:45 PM

Winnipeg police have arrested and charged a third suspect in relation to a fatal assault last year.

On Oct. 31, 2022, officers found 47-year-old William Markowski unresponsive, beaten and suffering a gunshot wound near a home in the 100 block of Johnson Avenue West. He was transported to the hospital in critical condition and later died.

On Wednesday, officers from a joint Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP task force arrested Justin Simeon Joseph Morris, 33, and charged him with manslaughter, WPS said in a release.

Police previously arrested and charged Toni Emma Ruddell, 23, and Christian Flett, 28, with second-degree murder last November.

The investigation is still ongoing, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

Man found dead in burning house

2:17 PM

The Winnipeg Police Service is investigating after a body was found inside a burning home in the Tyndall Park neighbourhood.

Firefighters were sent to the home in the 0-100 block of Ellington Street at around 11:45 p.m. Thursday. Firefighters attacked the fire from the inside while searching for people inside. Fire crews found a man dead inside the home.

The fire was declared under control at about 12:35 a.m. Friday, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

The City of Winnipeg’s emergency social services team was sent to the scene to help residents.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. No damage estimate was available Friday.

Man dead after single-car accident in RM of Ste. Anne

2:20 PM

A 20-year-old man has died after his vehicle lost control on Road 40 E in the rural municipality of Ste. Anne Thursday.

The driver was travelling north on Road 40 E, near Road 46 N, when the vehicle entered the ditch where it rolled at around 10:25 a.m. The driver, who was from Ste. Anne, was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. There were no passengers.

Steinbach RCMP are investigating.