Two people dead in shooting at popular Winnipeg restaurant

Two people are dead after a shooting inside Johnny G’s restaurant.

Police were called to the popular late night hang out on Main Street around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“Shots came from inside the restaurant,” Const. Rob Carver told Global News. “We had a number of units respond.”

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Police confirmed the victims are two men but could not elaborate on ages or whether they were known to police.

One woman who works at the restaurant was also injured. An employee told Global News she is okay but shaken up over the shooting.

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This is not the first time the Winnipeg restaurant has been closed because of a serious incident.

In February 2013, William Edward Moar, 24, was shot at the downtown eatery and died later in hospital.

Three people were arrested for the gang involved shooting including a 15-year-old boy who was later arrested in Calgary and brought back to Winnipeg to face charges.

In June 2016, Morgan Van Bone pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and to taking part in the activities of a criminal organization. Van Bone was initially charged with first-degree murder in connection with the killing of Moar.

One of the owners of the restaurant told Global News he is frustrated, saying “our hands are tied.”

Staff check people’s identifications when they come into the restaurant but he said short of “patting people down” there’s not much they can do.

Police agreed.

“Everything here that could have been done was,” Const. Carver said. “If you’re a licensed establishment, gang colors or paraphernalia, under the Liquor Control Act, is prohibited.”

“I don’t know if there is a gang involvement here. If there was, I can tell you, high probability was there is nothing indicative that they were gang members.”

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READ MORE: Teen, man charged with first-degree murder in Johnny G’s homicide

However, police said it’s not the location that is a problem, but the type of establishment – a late night restaurant.

“We have criminals who tend to show up late in the evening. It’s not that restaurant. It’s any place, sort of 1:30 in the morning,” Carver said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have criminals who tend to show up late in the evening. It's not that restaurant. It's any place, sort of 1:30 in the morning," Carver said.

“You have to ask yourself, who are you with? Where are you? We have other restaurants where we’ve had homicides at those kind of hours,” Carver said. “That’s the nature of any big city late in the evening (or) early in the morning.”

It’s a similar feeling shared by neighbouring V.J.’s Drive Inn. The grab and go burger spot changed its hours a few years ago.

They told Global News they used to stay open well past midnight, especially during their busy summer months. But after the shooting in 2013 and a number of other serious incidents nearby, they decided it was time to start closing earlier.