Police watchdog clears officers in fatal shooting during hostage situation in Winnipeg

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 2:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Officers progressive successful a fatal shooting of a antheral during a hostage concern successful Winnipeg's West Broadway country volition not look charges.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba released a last study connected Monday, saying it has looked into the substance and "following owed information of each the circumstances, the civilian manager volition not beryllium authorizing charges."

Around 1:45 p.m. connected Dec. 28, 2023, officers were called to an flat artifact the country of Furby Street and Cornish Avenue astir a 19-year-old pistillate being held captive by a antheral equipped with an edged weapon.

The study said the antheral was holding the pistillate by the cervix successful the hallway of the 3rd floor, according to the IIU report.

The antheral past barricaded himself and the pistillate wrong a suite where officers learned determination was also a kid and two other adults.

The Tactical Support Team was past called retired and tried negotiating with the man. Eventually, a 33-year-old pistillate and a three-year-old kid were released from the suite, and a 23-year-old antheral escaped by scaling down the exterior of the gathering from a third-floor balcony.

Officers couldn't person the antheral to merchandise the 19-year-old woman, though.

"Out of interest for the beingness and well-being of the hostage a rescue program was developed," the IIU study states.

Just aft 5 p.m. the TAC squad broke into the suite, during which the antheral was shot and killed. The pistillate was not injured.

Thirteen officers were interviewed arsenic portion of the IIU investigation. A civilian witnesser besides provided a statement.

The probe besides looked implicit notes and different reports from officers, audio transmissions betwixt the TAC squad negotiator and antheral who was shot, drone video, photos from the country and forensic analysis.

Images from a drone that was capable to spot wrong the suite showed the antheral holding the woman, pressing a weapon to her neck. Officers had besides received accusation the antheral had harmed different pistillate during a prior hostage concern successful Calgary

One officer interviewed by the IIU said the antheral was yelling and agitated and the TAC team, of which the serviceman was part, was advised to "take action" if a concern was presented.

At 1 point, officers utilized a battering ram successful an attempt to interruption the doorway down, but it lone near a ample hole. On respective occasions, the antheral would locomotion to the spread successful the door, holding the pistillate successful beforehand of him, and outcry astatine the officers, the study states. 

One officer fired a Taser done the spread successful the doorway but missed the man.

The five-hour standoff ended erstwhile the drone camera showed immoderate abstraction betwixt the antheral and the woman, who had bent down aft dropping a phone.

Eight officers stormed the suite and fired multiple shots, after which the antheral was declared dead.

The usage of lethal unit by the was deemed to beryllium justified by the IIU's civilian director, whose report says the investigation is complete and the substance is present closed.