Three days, three North End attacks, three homicides

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This article was published 25/09/2018 (2711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Violent physical assaults ended the lives of three men in separate incidents in the North End Saturday, Sunday and Monday, police say.

The three deaths raise the number of homicides in Winnipeg to 15 this year.

A man who has not yet been identified by police, was attacked in broad daylight Monday at about 4 p.m. in the railway underpass at McPhillips Street and Logan Avenue — an active construction site. He died in hospital, and police are still looking for a suspect.

A 73-year-old man was viciously beaten outside a home in the 300 block of Redwood Avenue at about 2 a.m. Sunday and was taken to hospital in critical condition with with serious upper body injuries. He died in hospital Monday. Officers arrived at the scene Sunday while the senior was being attacked and arrested a male youth, who was later charged with second-degree murder in addition to offences linked to other violent incidents.

Officers on a “check the well-being” call early Saturday afternoon at 370 Pritchard Ave. discovered the beaten body of Jason Peter John James, 40. Police have not yet made an arrest.

“It’s three homicides in three days,” WPS spokesman Const. Rob Carver said Tuesday. “These ones are all unconnected. We’ve seen a period prior to that where we hadn’t seen a homicide in a while. That’s the nature of homicides.”

In addition to the second-degree murder charge, the youth — whose age was not released — taken into custody on Redwood Avenue was charged in two incidents on Aug. 23 including robbery with a firearm and possession of a weapon; breaking, entering and committing robbery (home invasion); pointing a firearm, uttering threats, possessing a weapon and unauthorized possession of weapon.

Carver said the youth and the 73-year-old victim didn’t know each other. Police arrived “within three minutes” after getting the call that there was a serious assault in progress and witnessed some of the assault as they pulled up. Officers were able to grab the suspect as he tried to run away.

“(The victim’s injuries) were very serious upper-body and head injuries,” Carver said. “I believe the victim was a resident in the neighbourhood but I do not believe he was a resident of the property this (attack) was in front of…. He was a senior who lived in the area.”

Const. Tammy Skrabek said no arrests have been made in Monday’s underpass attack.

“There were several witnesses in area. We did receive a number of phone calls from several people who saw the incident,” she said Tuesday. “No idea (if it was a random attack). This was just late yesterday afternoon and investigators initially started to talk to some of the witnesses that were there. They’re still in the process of interviewing witnesses. In the case when we have a victim who does pass away as a result, you’re really limited in the information you have as to what led up to that.”

She said police are asking any other witnesses or anyone with information to call (204) 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at (204) 786-TIPS (8477).

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca