Police investigate two shooting homicides in 12 hours

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This article was published 30/11/2021 (1573 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two Winnipeg homicides within 12 recent hours were shootings, a source within the Manitoba justice system has told the Free Press.

At around 5:40 p.m. Sunday, city police were called to perform a well-being check at an apartment on the 1000 block of Archibald Street. Once inside, they found 33-year-old Justin Bellinger of Toronto, who was severely injured.

The man was sent to hospital in critical condition and died of his injuries.

On Tuesday, police didn’t say the incident was a shooting but that the case is being investigated as a homicide. A source told the Free Press that Bellinger, who had been visiting Winnipeg, had been shot in the head at close range.

Twelve hours later, around 5:30 a.m. Monday, 42-year-old Tyler Patrick Yarema was wounded at a home on the 200 block of Forrester Avenue. Police, who had been called after reports of gunshots, sent Yarema to hospital. He later died of his injuries.

The Winnipeg Police Service doesn’t believe the two incidents are related.

The source told the Free Press that Yarema had been shot in the stomach while asleep in the home, where he was staying. According to the source, a dog was also shot and there were children in the house at the time of the incident.

Yarema was remembered Tuesday as a great spongee player and a friend to the community, according to a fellow sport enthusiast.

“Whether he was making you laugh as (a) teammate or chirping you on the ice or partying with you on playoff weekend, Tyler was truly one of a kind and a good friend of mine,” Bobby J. St. Laurent, an administrator of the Kildonan Sponge Hockey League Facebook group, posted to its public page.

A group of Yarema’s friends gathered Tuesday night at the Pandora Inn, one of their regular post-game spots. They remembered him as a talented athlete, a skilled woodworker, and a great friend.

“He was the guy when things were tough, he was going to bring everybody together,” said Mark Lamoureux, who knew Yarema for 20 years through area sports leagues.

Yarema was loud, strong-hearted, happy-go-lucky and fun to be around, with a sarcastic sense of humour and a loyalty that meant he’d be the first to volunteer a drive to the airport or help friends with a move, Lamoureux said.

“He lived life to the fullest, every moment.”

Some wore Yarema’s jersey No. 99, for his beloved Wayne Gretzky, in his honour.

“He was like family to me… like a brother,” said Patrick Nikolaus, who knew Yarema for a decade. “Such a caring guy. He had a huge heart, didn’t deserve this, for sure.”

Those who knew Yarema are awaiting the outcome of the ongoing investigation, shocked by his death.

“It’s an empty feeling,” Nikolaus said. “We’re hoping they find who did this and we get some justice.”

On Tuesday afternoon, police, including forensics unit investigators, were still on scene at the Forrester Avenue home in Meadowood, near Victor H.L. Wyatt School.

A few doors down, mother of three Urooj Shaheen said she hadn’t heard the gunshots but had heard about the shooting.

“None of us heard (the shots), even the next-door neighbours,” she said.

Shaheen said she knows the two women who live in the home, adding they were sisters and that children also live there.

It was “a huge surprise” to learn of such a violent incident because the neighbourhood is typically peaceful, she said.

“Our kids play outside no problem. It’s really friendly. There’s the odd house where it’s just a bunch of teenagers, but we’ve still never had any problems,” Shaheen said. “They’re really friendly around here, I’m comfortable.”

Investigations into both homicides are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477.

— with files from Katie May

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_