An off-duty Winnipeg police officer escaped harm’s way early Sunday when he was confronted by a man with a gun who pulled the trigger.
The officer was walking to his parked vehicle after his shift ended when the incident occurred. The Winnipeg Police Association says based on the comments made, the suspect knew he was a police officer.
The suspect pulled out a gun, but it fortunately misfired and the officer wasn’t injured.
“This is about as close a call as you can have, with a potential tragic loss being prevented only because a firearm malfunctioned,” said WPA president Moe Sabourin.
The WPA has been calling for a safe and secure parking solution for its officers in downtown Winnipeg.
“Every job is different, and serving as a member of the WPS has its own challenges — unfortunately, one of those challenges is that criminal elements will sometimes target our members at moments when they have just completed their shift, solely because they are members of the WPS. A safe and secure parking solution is needed to address this.”
Police arrested the suspect Monday afternoon when he was spotted downtown. Mitchell Dean Beardy, 38, faces numerous charges, including drug possession. Police say he was found with individually packaged baggies each containing approximately 6.6 grams of cocaine with a street value of approximately $600 and one 9mm bullet.
Beardy remains in custody.
In another incident, an off-duty officer was stabbed in late 2017 while walking to his vehicle, but wasn’t seriously injured.
Updated on Tuesday, March 19
