Winnipeg police investigating death at soccer centre in Waverley

Winnipeg police are investigating the death of a man at a local soccer centre over the weekend.

On Saturday, at 11:47 p.m. police say officers were called to a soccer complex in the 900 block of Waverley Street for reports of a shooting.

Police say they found, 22-year-old Mohamed Yusuf Abdullahi, unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds. He was provided immediate emergency care and rushed to the hospital in critical condition where he later died as a result of his injuries. His death is being investigated as a homicide.

Abdullahi was shot 20 minutes after the play ended in a quarterfinal match at Winnipeg’s Canada African Cup of Nations tournament between Ghana and Eritrea, Abdullahi was playing for Eritrea.

It happened in the parking lot of the Ralph Cantafio Soccer Complex and the President of the tournament, Gode Katembo said at first he thought the noise was fireworks.

“Until I looked at the parking lot, and I saw people running back in the facilty, and that’s when I knew something was off.” he said.

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On Sunday, the Canada African Cup of Nations (CACN) posted a statement on X calling the incident a “targeted” shooting.

“A local soccer player sustained serious upper body injuries,” the statement reads. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victim during this difficult time. The community is struggling to process this irreparable loss and painful trauma.”

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Police say no one else was harmed during the incident and the shooter immediately fled in a vehicle. Police are asking anyone with information that could help investigators come forward.

“There were approximately 100 spectators still on scene and present at the game, and someone may have valuable information to assist in this investigation,” said Cst. Dani McKinnon.

Police and organizers of the event have said they have no reason to believe the shooting was related to the soccer game and it is currently unclear what the motive was.

Police believe the suspect was a man and was the sole shooter.

Katembo says the community has been deeply traumatized by the event and organizers will be meeting to discuss whether the next scheduled matches will go ahead.

“Our mission and our vision is to create hope, to get kids off the street, where they can feel they belong,” Katembo said.