(Winnipeg) Three people were killed and two others are fighting for their lives following shots fired in downtown Winnipeg, local police said.
Officer Jason Michalyshen said officers went to a residence around 4 a.m. (local time) where they found five people injured by projectiles.
A man and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene while the other three were transported to a hospital.
A second man died in hospital. Police say a third man and a second woman are in critical condition.
Mr. Michalyshen added that there are no arrests in connection with this killing to his knowledge. He does not know if the victims knew each other since their identities remain unknown.
He also could not say whether there were one or more suspects, recalling that the investigation was still in its early stages. “We are doing our best to determine what happened,” he said.
It seems that the building where the tragedy took place has several apartments. It is also unknown if a weapon was recovered.
Yellow tape blocked off several homes and apartment buildings on the street Sunday afternoon, with police stationed on either side of the cordoned off area.
The -10 degree Celsius temperature limited pedestrian traffic in the area, located about five blocks west of the Manitoba Legislative Assembly.
“There is an atmosphere here. I don’t know how you would describe it. It’s not for people who are the fearful ones,” said Steve, a 20-year resident of the neighborhood who did not want to give his last name.
He said the neighborhood has a diverse mix of low- and moderate-income residents. He said his house had been broken into once in two decades, but he admitted he left his door open.
He was never physically threatened, he said.
Police are hoping to obtain information from potential witnesses or video from a surveillance camera to help with their investigation.
“This could be very, very important to our investigation, so we would really like to be contacted,” Officer Michalyshen said.
Police are not expected to release further information on Sunday.