News briefs for Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Stefanson asks Lt.-Gov. to dissolve legislative assembly

10:25 AM

Premier Heather Stefanson went to Government House this morning to request Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville dissolve the legislative assembly.

Dissolving the legislature marks the official start of the provincial election campaign and the issuing of the writs.

Stefanson will make her first formal campaign announcement at a Food Fare in west Winnipeg later this morning.

Arrest in Brandon homicide

11:53 AM

Brandon police have made an arrest in the city’s fourth homicide of the year.

Stephen Teetaert, 42, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Police were sent to a home in Highland Park Mobile Home Estates on Saturday and found an injured 63-year-old woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said it appeared the woman was assaulted with multiple weapons.

Teetaert lived in the home. He was not related to the victim and was not in a domestic relationship with her, police said.

— Brandon Sun

Police seize drugs, 3D-printed gun

1:33 PM

Two people are facing firearm and drug charges after police made a raid in the 1100 block of Portage Avenue on Monday.

Among other items, officers seized an illegal 3D-printed 9-mm handgun, body armour, two rifles, a double-barrelled shotgun, various types of ammunition, a crossbow, a knife, about 750 grams of cocaine, 50 Percocet pills, and drug-packaging materials and scales.

A 30-year-old man is facing 26 charges, while a 27-year-old woman is facing 13 charges. Both are Winnipeg residents.

Home hit by gunfire, two arrested

1:51 PM

Two people are facing charges after multiple shots were fired into a home in the Meadows West neighbourhood late Sunday night.

Police were sent to the scene at about 11 p.m. No one was inside the home at the time.

A man and a woman were later arrested in the 6000 block of Roblin Boulevard.

Police said investigators determined the pair were at an outdoor gathering when the man got into an altercation with another man he knew, threatened to kill him and fired a shotgun round into the air.

Police said the couple then drove to the Meadows West home linked to the man he had allegedly threatened.

A 36-year-old Winnipeg man is facing charges and was detained in custody. A 30-year-old woman is facing firearm-related charges and was released on an undertaking.

Pair of Goldeyes earn All-Star nominations

2:25 PM

The season didn’t go as planned for the team, but a pair of Winnipeg Goldeyes players have earned All-Star nominations for their tremendous individual efforts.

Veteran outfielder Max Murphy and rookie third baseman Dayson Croes received the accolades on Tuesday afternoon.

Murphy, the reigning American Association Player of the Year, belted 26 home runs (tied for second overall) and drove in 84 runs (third in the league) while hitting .289. The 30-year-old from Minnesota fully recuperated from a broken leg suffered during the playoffs last September.

Croes, a 23-year-old native of Aruba, batted a team-high .351 (fourth in the league) and his 135 hits were more than any other player. He also had 67 RBIs, second on the Goldeyes to Murphy, and had a league-best 25-game hitting streak earlier in the year.

Winnipeg wrapped up the 2023 campaign on Monday with a win in Fargo, leaving them with a 43-57 record that was second-worst in the 12-team loop.

Missing child from The Pas located

2:42 PM

A 10-year-old boy who had been missing since Monday after bicycling away from his residence in The Pas has been found.

The Pas RCMP said Tuesday afternoon the boy was located safely.

Two arrested after shots fired in Dauphin apartment

3:27 PM

Dauphin RCMP arrested two men after shots were fired in an apartment building in the community of Sifton Sept. 1.

Police evacuated the building and found a bullet hole in one of the apartment walls. No one was in the apartment and there were no injuries.

While officers were obtaining search warrants for two apartments, two suspects returned to the building and were subsequently arrested.

Three shotguns, two rifles and ammunition were seized from the apartments.

Nick Ficzycz, 46, has been charged with unauthorized possession of a firearm, recklessly discharging a firearm, careless use of a firearm, unsafe storage of a firearm and resisting arrest. He remains in custody.

Kyle Shumsky, 36, faces charges of unauthorized possession and unsafe storage of firearms. He was released from custody on an order to appear in court.

Man allegedly damages city’s water treatment plant

3:41 PM

A Winnipeg man has been arrested after allegedly breaking into the city’s water treatment plant and damaging a building and vehicles with an excavator.

RCMP said the man broke into the property in the RM of Springfield on Sunday at about 2:50 a.m.

RCMP said the man jumped into an excavator and began damaging vehicles there as well as a building.

When officers jumped on the excavator and told him to stop, the man didn’t at first, but did when they ordered him a second time.

The man allegedly assaulted officers while he was being taken into custody.

Aaron Michael Yarema, 39, has been charged with several offences including mischief over $5,000, break and enter, and assaulting a police officer.

Oakbank RCMP are continuing to investigate.

Racing at Downs scrapped tonight

6:29 PM

Assiniboia Downs has cancelled live racing for tonight due to poor air quality.

Widespread wildfire smoke continues to produce very poor air quality and reduced visibility in and around the Winnipeg.

Racing will resume Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.