Winnipeg police detail standoff: Officers shot during armed robbery response

Winnipeg police said three officers were shot during an armed and barricaded incident occurred over the weekend.

At a press conference on Monday, police Chief Danny Smyth said officers were called to an apartment building in the 200 block of College Avenue on Saturday. At the time, it was believed a woman was being held against her will in one of the apartment units on the main floor.

Smyth said the incident was related to an armed robbery on Feb. 9, when three male suspects broke into a home in the 300 block of Boyd Avenue. Officers attended the scene at 6:15 a.m., learning that one of the suspects shot a 40-year-old man – causing a serious lower-body injury. He was taken to the hospital in an unstable condition. The suspects fled before police arrived.

Additionally, Smyth said a 25-year-old woman was believed to have been forcibly removed and abducted by the suspects.

0:56 Winnipeg police face variety of volatile situations over weekend, chief says

On Saturday, police said the woman was inside an apartment unit on College Avenue. According to Smyth, several people and firearms were inside the unit. At 3 a.m. the next morning, two of the suspects left the residence. The woman believed to have been abducted also exited. Smyth said it was later found that she was inside the residence on her own accord.

He added that one of the suspects remained inside the unit and refused to exit and that tear gas was used to remove him. In the ensuing standoff, Smyth said the suspect shot three officers through the walls with a shotgun. They were treated in the hospital for minor injuries.

“Physically, the members are going to be just fine,” Smyth said at the conference. “Our members do their best with the training and equipment we provide.”

A shot was also fired towards a tactical unit vehicle through a window in the apartment.

On Sunday, ten minutes past 10 a.m., 43-year-old Jeremy James Kayseas surrendered to police and was taken to custody.

He faces several charges including breaking and entering, assault causing bodily harm, and discharging a firearm with intent.

Smyth said a 50-year-old man was also found hiding in the apartment. He along with two other suspects, a 46-year-old man and 30-year-old woman, were arrested for drug and firearm offences. They were released on an undertaking.

An investigation is ongoing.