WINNIPEG – Police have identified the two men believed targeted by the same killer in two weekend homicides that have terrified the city’s homeless community.
READ MORE: ‘Person of interest’ located by Winnipeg Police: Sources
Donald Collins, 65, was found dead early Saturday morning in a lane behind 329 Hargrave Street in downtown Winnipeg. The body of Stony Stanley Bushie, 48, was found Saturday night in the lane behind 333 Portage Ave.
Earlier, a man outside Winnipeg’s Siloam Mission homeless shelter told Global News that he knew one of the victims as “Don” who at one point in the past had a suite in a downtown public housing complex and may have suffered from a mental illness.
READ MORE: Winnipeg police search for person of interest in homicides targeting homeless
Police say both men were homeless or otherwise vulnerable people who spent a lot of their time on the streets and were “brutally killed,” likely by the same suspect. Officers warned the homeless to travel in groups and avoid secluded areas.
No suspect has been arrested and police are still looking for a man they say is “of interest” in the investigation. Security camera images were distributed to the media Sunday and have been widely published and broadcast. Several people Global News spoke to at Siloam Mission say they recognized the man in the picture but didn’t know his name.
Officers inspected and then removed some large trash bins from behind Siloam Mission on Princess Street Monday morning. Officers confirmed this was related to the two homicides but wouldn’t say what led investigators there.
READ MORE: Winnipeg police remove covered Dumpsters from homeless shelter
Police are still hoping for tips that will lead them to a suspect. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at (204) 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at (204) 786-TIPS (8477).
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