Homicide at nightclub overnight brings Winnipeg’s total to 38

Winnipeg police say one person is dead and another is in hospital after a shooting at a nightclub early Saturday morning.

Police say one of the men had been shot in the lower body and he was taken to hospital in stable condition, where he remains.

The other man was shot multiple times and found dead by police.

The shooting began inside Citizen nightclub on Bannatyne Avenue around 1:30 a.m. before spilling outside into the street, police said.

Evidence markers littered Princess Street adjacent to the club Saturday morning. Police tape blocked off Princess Street and the sidewalk on Bannatyne Avenue from the corner to the night club’s entrance.

Const. Rob Carver with the Winnipeg Police Service said there were lots of people inside the club at the time but only two were injured.

“It was a nightclub. Alcohol is present for sure. That’s as far as what I can say with any certainty,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It was a nightclub. Alcohol is present for sure. That's as far as what I can say with any certainty," he said.

“People may have access to or using street drugs as well. That’s part of the world. Those can make for potentially violent situations.”

Trevor Sicotte — who lives across the street from the nightclub — came home late Saturday night to police cars, an ambulance and nightclubbers gathered in the intersection of Bannatyne Avenue and Princess Street in the aftermath of the shooting.

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He wasn’t shocked there was a shooting at the club.

“I’ve called police due to incidents at this nightclub on a couple of occasions since I’ve lived here,” Sicotte said. He’s lived there for about a year.

“It’s pretty frequent we hear of fights going on here… I’m not at all surprised that something like this happened.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's pretty frequent we hear of fights going on here… I'm not at all surprised that something like this happened."

Police are also asking people who were at the club to send in any video they may have.

“Even if you think it has nothing to do with the homicide, you may not know what it could do to help. It’s important to us,” Carver said.

Police have made no arrests so far.

People can contact investigators in the homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers 204-786-8477.

The latest homicide makes 38 for the City of Winnipeg so far this year, and the fifth homicide in a week.

— with files from Erik Pindera