Man accused of stabbing security guard has record of thefts

The man accused of stabbing a security guard at a Winnipeg grocery store last week left jail in early August after admitting to several thefts from retail stores and an assault at a Sobeys earlier this year.

Winnipeg Police Service officers were called to the FreshCo store on the 600 block of Sargent Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. on Friday over an assault.

The suspect had tried to leave the grocery store without paying for merchandise before a confrontation broke out and he pulled out a knife outside the store, police said on Sunday. The guard, a 24-year-old man, was taken to hospital in critical condition and later upgraded to stable.

Peter Edwin Morrison Black, 23, has been charged with robbery, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. He was detained in custody. He was arrested on Saturday, the day after the stabbing, in the area of Ellice Avenue and Sherbrook Street.

On Aug. 10, provincial court Judge Samuel Raposo gave Black a sentence of time served, plus 16 months of probation, after he pleaded guilty in June to two thefts, an assault with a weapon and two court order breaches. He had spent 174 days in jail awaiting court.

The assault occurred at a Henderson Highway Sobeys on Feb. 24 this year. Black was leaving the store with meat he hadn’t paid for and swung a bottle of hot sauce at someone who attempted to stop him.

He also stole items from clothing stores on several occasions in the last year, court heard, and was twice spotted by police in 2025 with a girlfriend he was barred by court order from contacting.

Black has cognitive challenges, court heard, including a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnosis, schizophrenia and severe addictions. Raposo described the thefts as Black stealing to feed his addictions. At the time of the court order breaches, his lawyer, Morgan Lawrence, said he was considered “underhoused.”

Lawrence said Black had been staying at a group home for people with cognitive challenges prior to his stint in jail and his support worker was working on finding a bed for him somewhere upon his release.

Crown prosecutor Julie Negrea said Black tends to offend when he’s unmedicated and using illicit substances. His criminal record includes several prior assaults and thefts, court records show.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca