Two sisters from a Manitoba First Nation are among the four people killed in a shooting in Winnipeg’s West Broadway neighbourhood that happened early Sunday morning.
Crystal Shannon Beardy, 34, Stephanie Amanda Beardy, 33, Melelek Leseri Lesikel, 29, and Dylan Maxwell Lavallee, 41, died after being shot on Langside Street, police said Monday in a news release.
Crystal and Stephanie Beardy were sisters, their mother Beverley Beardy has confirmed to CBC News.
Crystal, a mother of two boys, died at the scene, while Stephanie, a mother of two girls, died in hospital last night after being taken off life support, her family said.
The sisters were members of Lake St. Martin First Nation, police said Monday.
The families of all four have been notified. Lesikel’s family lives in the United States and Kenya, while Lavallee’s family is in Winnipeg, Insp. Jennifer McKinnon said.
A 55-year-old man who was also shot remains in hospital in critical condition, police said.
Suspect still at large
No arrests have been made at this point and no suspects have been identified, Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth said at Monday’s news conference.
“This is a dangerous offender, in my view, and we must do everything that we can to identify that person and take them into custody,” he said.
Police are also trying to determine whether there was more than one shooter, Smyth said.
Officers are doing everything they can to make an arrest as soon as possible and help residents feel safe, including increasing patrols in the area, Smyth said.
“We will do everything we can to discover why this happened and who was involved,” he said. “This is an extremely troubling event and it certainly has shocked the community.”
Smyth said the shooting happened in a unit of a multi-suite dwelling, but that he couldn’t say why the five victims were in the home together.
Beyond that, he said he couldn’t give other details because police are still in the early stages of their investigation.
“I don’t even know what happened in the suite yet; I will let the investigators do their thing.”
Victims weren’t tenants: building owner
The owner of the building says as far as he’s aware the victims weren’t his tenants .
Richard Fulham, who owns the company that owns the house where the shooting happened, said he doesn’t know why the victims were in the building, a rooming house with six suites.
“I can’t imagine the circumstances of what went on. I just can’t … my wife and I just feel horrible about what happened.”
Fulham said most of the suites in the Langside Street house are self contained and have their own kitchens and bathrooms, adding most of his tenants are on a fixed income so the house offers an affordable housing option.
Some of those tenants were in the house at the time of the shooting but were uninjured, Fulham said. For now, they will have to find somewhere else to stay while police carry out their investigation of the crime scene, he said.
Police were called about multiple injuries on the Langside Street south of Sara Avenue just after 4 a.m. Sunday.
Crystal Beardy and one of the men were pronounced dead at the scene. The other three were rushed to hospital in critical condition, where another man and Stephanie Beardy died.
Police were still at the scene Monday morning, with a large white forensics unit van parked along Langside Street. They could be there for up to a week as they continue their investigation, Smyth said.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew offered his condolences to the victims’ families Monday morning, and said the City of Winnipeg has his full support as police carry out their investigation.
“To the people responsible for this, I want to send a clear message: You do not run our streets. You do not own our streets. We own these streets, the people of Manitoba do,” he said.
“We deserve to feel safe in our communities, and you deserve to be held accountable.”
Source : CBC
