By The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Constable Jay Murray addresses media in Winnipeg, Monday, April 23, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
Winnipeg police have charged a 14-year old with four recent shootings, including a homicide on Canada Day.
The boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of a 27-year-old woman and a slew of shooting charges.
“I think it’s going to be terrifying and concerning for a lot of Winnipeg the fact that we would have so much violence and committed by such a young individual,” Const. Jay Murray said Friday.
A 44-year-old man was struck by a vehicle around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday and it was later found he had been shot. He’s in stable condition in hospital.
Less than an hour later the woman and an 18-year-old man, who police believe are cousins, were walking along a street when they were shot. The woman died immediately and the man was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.
Police were then called to The Forks, a popular historic and tourist area of the city, around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. A 40-year-old man had been shot and was taken to hospital in stable condition.
Murray said police also learned of another shooting Wednesday where a man and woman were shot at but able to run away.
The teenager was taken into custody on Thursday afternoon. Police said a firearm has been recovered and is believed to be the one used in the shootings.
Murray said he could not speak to a motive for the shootings.
“The reality is, we can acknowledge, that we don’t believe any of these victims knew the shooter,” he said.
