Police have released the names of the victims of a shooting in the West Broadway neighbourhood of Winnipeg in the early hours of Nov. 26 that left four people dead and a fifth in critical condition.
Winnipeg police arrived on the scene shortly after 4 a.m. to find two victims dead. Three others were taken to hospital with serious injuries, two of whom have since died.
Police confirmed the names of the victims in a news release on Nov. 27: sisters Crystal and Stephanie Beardy, age 34 and 33 respectively, along with 29-year-old Melelek Leseri Lesikel and Dylan Maxwell Lavalee, age 41.
“We know homicides investigations that have multiple victims cause great concern and cause fear in the community. Our members will focus on identifying and apprehending the suspect responsible for the crime,” Mr. Smyth said.
He cautioned that there may be more than one shooter, noting that police have not made that determination yet, and the suspect or suspects should be considered dangerous.
Mr. Smyth said he couldn’t go into much detail about the shooting as it is still under investigation. He said the victims were all in the same unit of a multi-unit building. However, he could not elaborate on what their relationship was to each other, aside from the Beardy sisters, and why they were all in the same apartment unit together at 4 a.m.
“I don’t even know what happened in the suite yet; I will let investigators do their own thing,” he said, adding that the police are doing all they can to find out what happened and who was responsible. Historically it is tips and information from the public that help solve crimes, the police chief said.
Crystal Beardy, a mother of two, was one of the victims pronounced dead at the scene, along with an unidentified male victim. Her sister, Stephanie, also a mother of two, died in hospital along with the other male victim. The fifth victim, a 55-year-old man, remains in critical condition
Mr. Smyth said the victims and the building the shooting took place in were all previously known to police.
