WINNIPEG — A house party in East Kildonan Sunday ended suddenly when a man opened fire on a group of guests.
“It was tough to digest, it still is tough to digest,” said Darnell Barrett who hosted the party.
Barrett says he regularly invites former customers over from his restaurant for Caribbean food and music, but early Sunday morning the fun was interrupted by gunfire in the back lane.
“When I heard gunshots that’s when the party officially ended,” a shocked Barrett said Monday. “I started telling people ‘you have to get out and find safety or do something to protect yourself.'”
Police say a fight between one of his guests and a stranger who wasn’t invited to the party escalated, four people were shot at in the back lane, three people were hit by bullets, one of the victims ran back to Barrett’s backyard where he collapsed.
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“The gentleman was stretched out right here,” Barrett said, pointing to his backdoor. “It was…it’s disgusting, it’s really really disgusting that this type of stuff has to happen at all.”
Barrett says he’s done hosting these parties, something he said he started doing after he wasn’t able to cook at his family’s restaurant following injures he received in a car accident.
“He looked lifeless, he was definitely unconscious,” Barrett said. “He had his friends screaming at him to show them some type of life, breath, say something, open your eyes, it just wasn’t happening. I thought he was gone.”
Police said the suspect had gang connections but the homeowner and the victims did not. Police also say they’ve never had any prior issue at Barrett’s home.
The victims are 19, 20 and 21-years-old andremain in stable condition.
“Our prayers go out to them and their families,” Barrett said. “I just hate to see this happen.”
Police arrested 22-year-old Haben Nipsey Weldekidan at a hotel in the south end of Winnipeg early Monday morning. He faces a number of charges including attempted murder.
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