Woman arrested at dog daycare carrying loaded rifle, ‘number of rounds of ammunition’

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This article was published 01/06/2021 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman has been arrested and faces charges, after Winnipeg police were called to a doggy daycare Saturday for reports of a suspect armed with a gun.

In a news conference Monday, spokesman Const. Jay Murray said a female suspect had been “acting bizarrely” and appeared to be loading a gun at the entrance of the Dog Loft, a pet daycare and grooming service on Marion Street.

Police credited a man, who has not been identified, with occupying the woman’s attention until officers arrived, and helping to prevent a potentially grim outcome.

“We want to thank that passerby, that 53-year-old man, who chose to engage the female,” Murray said.

“It’s not always our advice to engage somebody who has a firearm. This individual chose to do that, and officers felt they could credit this individual with preventing something worse from happening.”

Wilma Sheena Kakegumick, 37, of Winnipeg, was allegedly in possession of a loaded Ruger SR-22, a semi-automatic .22-calibre rifle, when she was arrested.

The rifle was jammed with an unfired cartridge, police said Monday, and the serial number had allegedly been tampered with.

Kakegumick faces several firearm charges, including unauthorized possession, use of a firearm during an indictable offence, possessing a firearm knowing the serial number has been tampered with and careless carrying of a weapon.

Police said the suspect’s motive remains unclear.

“It’s certainly unusual,” Murray said. “The firearm was loaded; it had a number of rounds of ammunition. We really don’t know what the outcome could have been.”

Store owner Katie Heinrichs previously told the Free Press the woman was in the building’s vestibule, but the doors were locked due to COVID-19 procedures and she would not have been able to enter the business.

Heinrichs estimated the woman was in the vestibule for 10 to 15 minutes before police arrived.

While no one was injured, Heinrichs told the Free Press her employees were “shaken up,” and the business is looking for counselling and support resources for staff.

Kakegumick has several prior convictions dating to 2012, predominantly for theft under $5,000, according to court records.

She remains in custody.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers