News briefs for Thursday, November 16, 2023

Suspect at large after woman, infant held against will in Opaskwayak

3:50 PM

A suspect is at large after a woman and her infant child were assaulted and held against their will for several days in Opaskwayak Cree Nation near The Pas.

The Manitoba First Nations Police Service says the victim called the OCN detachment to report the assault on Monday.

Officers went to interview the victim and discovered her baby had also been injured, allegedly by the same suspect, police say. The woman and her child were treated at the hospital in The Pas.

The police service says the woman knew the person allegedly responsible for the assault and forcible confinement, which it described as “not a random act.”

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Kavika Reeves Constant, who’s wanted on charges of assault with a weapon, assault while choking, assault, forcible confinement and uttering threats, among other offences.

Police ask anyone with information to call the OCN detachment at 204-623-8200 or its anonymous tip line at 1-833-978-0048.

Winnipeg police search for missing 14-year-old girl

2:29 PM

Winnipeg police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing teenage girl.

Isabella Landers, 14, was last seen on Tuesday afternoon in St. Vital, police say.

The girl is described as 5-1 with a medium-to-heavy build, dyed red hair and blue eyes. Landers was last spotted wearing a black, zippered sweater, light grey sweat pants with blue shorts and black Nike brand shoes.

Police say they’re concerned for the teen’s wellbeing and ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call investigators at 204-986-6250.

Man found dead near park in North Point Douglas

1:01 PM

Winnipeg police now say a man was found dead near a park in North Point Douglas on Tuesday morning.

Patrol officers were called to the area off of the 100 block of Selkirk Avenue, near the Red River, at about 11 a.m. Tuesday and found the body.

Police say the man’s death is considered suspicious and homicide detectives are probing the circumstances.

Police had previously described the incident that saw officers tape off a section of riverbank and a footpath for more than a day as a “suspicious circumstance.”

Pedestrian hospitalized in St. James collision

12:37 PM

A 46-year-old pedestrian is in hospital, after being struck by a car near Portage Avenue and Sharp Boulevard Wednesday night.

Police arrived at the intersection around 8:30 p.m. and found the man suffering from serious injuries. He was taken to the hospital in unstable condition, Winnipeg Police Service Const. Claude Chancy said by phone.

Updates on the man’s condition were not available Thursday.

The accident is under investigation, but the motorist remained on the scene and police do not expect to lay charges, Chancy said.

Westbound traffic lanes remained closed from Portage to Moorgate Street until around 2:10 a.m.

Electrical malfunction suspected cause of Furby Street fire

8:59 AM

A fire in an apartment building on Furby Street early Thursday is believed to have been caused by an electrical malfunction.

Fire crews were sent to the three-storey building in the 500 block of Furby at 12:11 a.m. after a patrolling member with the Downtown Community Safety Partnership heard a fire alarm.

Crews attacked the fire from inside and declared the fire under control at 12:35 a.m. Damage was contained to the area where the fire originated.

Most residents were able to return to their suites after smoke was ventilated from the building, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said in a news release.

“Preliminary observations suggest the fire was accidental, caused by an electrical malfunction,” the WFPS said.