Vincent Curci was driving his 10-year-old daughter home from cheerleading practice when he says they were put in the line of fire — police gunfire, to be exact.
The two were driving down Nairn Avenue on Wednesday around 8:35 p.m. at the intersection of Panet Road.
They saw police up ahead, said Curci, but he thought it was just a check stop.
They continued driving but when they got closer Curci said a vehicle came rushing towards them.
“As he was coming towards us, all we heard was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. We heard a bunch of gunshots and I just hit the gas and got out of there.”
Winnipeg Police Service Cst. Rob Carver said the intersection was active at the time of the shooting.
“It was 8:30 in the evening and there would have been traffic, pedestrian and vehicular in all of those areas,” he said. “We’ve got three individuals that are presenting a risk to the public and we want to minimize that risk as soon as we can.”
WATCH: Officers’ use of firearms on Panet Road in line with police protocol
But Curci said he felt like his life was at risk and even scanned his truck for bullet holes when he got home.
“What if a pedestrian was walking by? It wasn’t just us,” he said.
“We could’ve been hit. I could’ve been killed and I have a son at home. As a parent it’s going through my mind that something could have happened and I could’ve been hurt or killed.”
Having his daughter in the truck is also something that kept him up last night.
Ten-year-old Deanna Vandersten said she’s feeling “traumatized.”
“We could see his gun pull out,” she said.
“It almost made me feel like that didn’t happen — like it wasn’t real. It made it feel like it was a movie and people were shooting at someone in the movie. I was pretty shaken up about it.”
Police say it started when officers were flagged down to respond to an assault with a sharp edged weapon near McLeod Avenue and Raleigh Street. When they got there, the suspects drove away and police followed.
WATCH: WPS Cst. Rob Carver provides details about the police pursuit, arrests and injuries
The vehicle, containing three suspects, was then spotted at Nairn and Panet where officers tried to block it but police say the driver rammed through and that’s when officers opened fire.
Police say the chase continued and the suspects were driving along train tracks near Marion and Archibald when they were arrested.
A 23-year-old suspect was shot. He was treated and released into police custody. A police officer was treated for being struck by a train but is expected to make a full recovery.
The Independent Investigations Unit is looking into the case.
WATCH: Vincent Curci says police put him and his daughter in danger when they fired at fleeing suspects Wednesday
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