Brooklands fire now homicide investigation; shooting victim city’s third homicide of 2022

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This article was published 24/01/2022 (1701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The death of a man in a house fire in Brooklands last week has now become a homicide investigation.

And a man who died on Sunday after being shot is the city’s third homicide of the year.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said Monday officers and fire investigators saw things they considered suspicious at the fire scene in the 1900 block of William Avenue West, and those suspicions were confirmed after an autopsy.

Brian Robert Scibak, 61, of Winnipeg, was the victim in the fire Thursday just before midnight.

Police ask anyone who had contact with Scibak before the fire to step forward with information or video, calling investigators at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).

“If you have access to video surveillance and you haven’t spoken to police investigators we ask to you talk to us,” he said, adding even material from a few streets away could be helpful.

“Typically when crime like this happen people flee from the scene,” Murray said.

He wouldn’t say whether Scibak, who had lived at the address for several years, was known to police.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said the blaze at the single-family bungalow was well involved with heavy smoke and flames when crews arrived.

Firefighters launched an offensive attack at first, but had to pivot because of the deteriorating conditions. It took more than an hour to get the fire under control.

Murray said a dog’s body was found inside the home and police are determining the cause of death.

Meanwhile, Murray said officers rushed to the 400 block of Young Street on Sunday at about 8:45 a.m., after receiving reports of a man getting shot.

Murray said when officers arrived they immediately began administering emergency care to a man to the severely injured victim who was rushed to hospital in critical condition and later died.

He was identified as Dustin Curtis Kyle Gibbs, 28, of Winnipeg.

Murray said investigators haven’t yet determined if the shooting was random or not.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca