The victim in Winnipeg’s 40th homicide of 2019 has been named by police.
The man, who was found dead from gunshot wounds in a South Pointe townhouse Monday night, has been identified as 20-year-old Rig Debak Moulebou.
The Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate, and police said they don’t believe the incident was random.
Moulebou was involved with football in Winnipeg, as a player for the Winnipeg Rifles as recently as last season.
Rifles head coach Geordie Wilson, who also coached him in rugby, described him as ‘a pretty low-key kid’.
“He was very polite, he was very respectful, and he was obviously a pretty good athlete.
“If there was gang activity or drug activity, he wouldn’t be a kid that I would have foreseen to be involved with this.”
Moulebou was a recent immigrant who didn’t know much about the sport when he came to Winnipeg, said Wilson, but he had natural athletic abilities that would have helped him pick it up quickly.
“He was a gifted athlete. Did he know the nuances of the game? No he didn’t, but that would’ve come with time.
“He had some serious potential to be an excellent football player. Everything that we’ve seen or heard or dealt with him, he seemed like genuinely he was a good kid who maybe took some bad advice or made a wrong decision and things went the wrong way.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).