Winnipeg police are investigating three overnight slayings, including the stabbing death of a 14-year-old girl.
The three deaths are the result of two separate incidents that took place within four hours of each other late Saturday and early Sunday.
At 10:45 p.m. Saturday police responded to reports of a stabbing at a house party on the 100 block of Kinver Avenue. They arrived to find two victims — a 14-year-old girl and a 18-year-old woman.
Both were taken to hospital, where the 14-year-old succumbed to her injuries. The 18-year-old is now in stable condition.
Const. Rob Carver said that police detained a large number of people from the party for questioning following the incident. The majority of people at the party were teenagers, and Carver said alcohol may have been a factor in the incident, but details are still being pieced together.
There’s no official word yet on whether the victims knew each other.
“I don’t know if there’s an historic relationship,” said Carver. “They were all at a party together, so there’s some community connection for sure.”
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Carver said he was stunned by the young age of the 14-year-old victim.
“It took my breath away this morning,” he said.
“It’s horrible. Somehow it’s worse when someone that young loses their life. We acknowledge that. It’s terrible.”
The second incident was a double homicide reported at about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Police responded to a medic call about two men down in the rear lane of Ross Avenue and Isabel Street.
Police found them with severe upper body injuries but Carver wouldn’t say what, if any, weapon was used.
They were also taken to hospital, but both have since died from their injuries.
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The two victims were already known to police. Carver says it is likely they were together at the time of their attack.
“I would go out on a limb and say it doesn’t appear that this was a sort of a random targeting of two people who weren’t known to each other,” he said.
Carver said the three homicides will make it a busy weekend for investigators.
“We are certainly on track to a horrible number. Any number of homicides are bad. Thirty-six is something we wish was lower.”
Carver added while Winnipeggers should remain vigilant about their safety, most homicides involve people who are involved with criminal behaviour.
“We know that the homicides are usually linked to people who are already floating around in a criminal subculture — that there’s drug and gang connections, I’m not saying there is in this case, but that’s the normal linkage,” he said.
“If you’re not part of criminal subculture, if you’re not dealing and buying drugs the chance of you in a violent incident are far far lower.”
The latest slayings bring the number of homicides for the year to 36.
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