Three suspects between the ages of 15 and 17 have been arrested in a shooting at the Red River Exhibition Monday night that left a 16-year-old victim in critical condition.
Winnipeg police said they were called to the exhibition park just after 7 p.m., where they found the victim being tended to by paramedics.
Twenty minutes later, police stopped a taxi in the area of Tyndall and Burrows avenues, and took three occupants into custody in connection with the incident. A loaded handgun was also seized.
Police said they believe the shooting took place after an altercation between the suspects and victim.
According to Red River EX CEO, Garth Rogerson, the victim worked worked for an independent game operator at the fair.
A 17-year-old male suspect faces a dozen charges, ranging from aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, discharging a restricted firearm, to failing to comply with a sentence.
A 15-year-old girl is facing numerous gun weapon charges, as well as aggravated assault, and another 17-year-old boy has been charged with aggravated assault.
The victim has been upgraded to stable condition, police said.
Despite the incident, the event’s CEO says security and the Winnipeg police are convinced the park is safe.
Rogerson told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that the incident took place near a washroom building on the park’s west side, and paramedics were able to help the victim almost immediately.
“Fortunately, paramedics were right next to it, so we had a paramedic on the scene within seconds,” he said. “The things we trained for, the things we practiced for, went into effect, and it worked perfectly in that respect.
“Our communication system went into play and it meant fire and police were on site within minutes. The person who committed the crime was arrested within 10 minutes and it was resolved very quickly.”
Rogerson said the Ex maintains a ratio of one guard for every 250 people — meaning with peak weekend crowds, at least 40 security officers were present, as well as Winnipeg police making routine stops at the park, located just west of the Perimeter Highway. Plainclothes security, he said, were also present.
“The police felt it was an isolated incident. We have a significant number of security officers on site, and they work closely with Winnipeg police, and they feel that the Ex is safe.
“These things sometimes happen, very, very unfortunate, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the park isn’t safe.”
Rogerson said on the weekend, the Ex attracted more people than the population of Portage la Prairie, and with a city-sized group of people in a small, enclosed area, problems sometimes arise.
“Thousands of people have been through here already and had a wonderful time,” he said.
“We’re very concerned about (safety) — we’re having a big security meeting this morning, we’re doing a complete review of all our operational procedures, and we’re seeing if there are any holes… where do we have to work to improve it even more?”