Manitoba RCMP say a hitchhiker who stabbed a driver has been shot and killed by police.
Police say officers responded to a report of a stabbing around 8:50 a.m. Wednesday off of Highway 16 in Westbourne, a community northwest of Portage la Prairie.
An investigation has determined that a male driver and his female passenger picked up the hitchhiker on the highway.
Police say the male hitchhiker reportedly attacked and stabbed the driver, who was able to pull over to the side of the road.
They say the hitchhiker fled on foot and a short time later officers received a call about a man attempting to enter vehicles at the junction of highways 16 and 50.
When they located the suspect, police say there was a confrontation and the man was shot by an officer.
“Officers immediately provided first aid until local emergency medical services arrived,” police said in a news release Wednesday.
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“The suspect, however, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene.”
The man shot by police is a 31-year-old from Sandy Bay First Nation, RCMP said Thursday.
They said an edged weapon was recovered at the scene.
Police said the male driver who was stabbed is in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Manitoba RCMP continue to investigate the stabbing, while the police shooting will be investigated by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.
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