Accused killer was out on bail, sought by police

Accused killer was out on bail, sought by police

A Winnipeg woman accused of a violent weekend rampage that left one man dead and another person seriously injured has a long history with the criminal justice system.

Mary Ellen Thomas was let out of jail just last month -- despite objections from the Crown, who noted her extensive record -- and was wanted on arrest warrants at the time of the attacks for allegedly breaching her conditions within days of release.

Thomas, 30, was arrested July 31 and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault. The single mother of a young child is accused of killing 62-year-old Michael Allan inside his Nassau Street South home, then randomly stabbing an 18-year-old girl at a nearby convenience store.

None of the allegations has been proven and she is presumed innocent.

Court documents obtained by the Free Press show Thomas was previously arrested on July 20 after allegedly using a shovel to smash a truck that belonged to a British Columbia man she'd recently met online. She spent three nights behind bars until provincial court Judge Mary Curtis agreed to free her on bail.

The Crown fought to keep her locked up, noting she had more than two dozen prior convictions for crimes spanning nearly 15 years including prostitution, theft, assault and breaching court orders. Thomas also had her statutory release from prison revoked in 2008 for violating terms of her release. The Crown noted there is a common theme to many of Thomas' prior offences -- they involve meeting men, consuming large amounts of alcohol and then turning violent.

"I've changed a lot," Thomas pleaded with the judge during her July 23 bail hearing.

"When I look at your record, the inclination is to say nothing's changed," Curtis replied. "But, in this particular set of circumstances, I am going to authorize your release."

Curtis ordered Thomas to abide by conditions including an order to abstain from alcohol and observe a nightly curfew. However, a warrant was issued for her arrest on July 28 after she allegedly failed to report to bail supervision. It wouldn't be executed until police arrested her inside Allan's home three days later.

Parole board documents show Thomas was diagnosed in 2006 as a schizophrenic prone to hallucinations and paranoia. There were also concerns about alcohol and crack cocaine use.

Allan's family told the Free Press this week he was a lonely, sick alcoholic who was allegedly killed by a woman he'd met earlier that night and agreed to bring home for drinks after purchasing beer from a vendor. They also believe Allan was targeted for his bank card. Mervin Forbister, the victim's brother-in-law, said Allan was a well-educated man who recently came back to Winnipeg from Saskatoon so his family could help care for him as he grappled with a lung disease wracking his 6'2, 112-pound body.

Forbister questioned how the accused killer was not in jail when the attack occurred.

"If I have any gripe, it's with the justice system," he said.

Gangs behind latest killings-- slayings of two young men was not random

Gangs behind latest killings -- slayings of two young men not random

Winnipeg's two most recent slayings were likely street gang shootings, and though they are apparently not linked, they are also not the random violence they first appeared to be.

Darren Walsh, 24, was gunned down on July 4 while standing at a Main Street bus stop in the middle of the afternoon. Police charged Jheruel Mananghaya with second-degree murder. He allegedly stepped off a bus, crossed the street and opened fire with a long gun -- a rifle or shotgun.

Sources told the Free Press Monday Walsh's killer is thought to have hidden his weapon in a weed whacker box while riding on the bus. As well, Mananghaya is believed to be an associate of the Redlined Crew, an upstart gang that has ties to the Hells Angels and was recently flagged by police in court documents.

"He's been spotted in the company of several Redlined members," a police source said. Police initially said the killing may have been a random attack but later revealed Walsh and Mananghaya had previously worked together at a local mattress factory. No motive for the incident has been made public.

"This was likely a targeted attack on the victim," the source said.

Dylan Ferland, 18, was shot dead July 8 while standing outside a McKenzie Street home he was visiting. Police have made no arrests but are appealing for potential witnesses to come forward. Ferland was a known associate of the Native Syndicate street gang. His older brother is a full-fledged member who is currently in prison.

"This was very likely a territorial and/or rival gang dispute," the source said Monday.

The homicides -- numbers nine and 10 of the year -- come on the heels of another brazen gang-related killing that happened in May and remains unsolved. Kyle Earl, 14, was gunned down while sitting on the front steps of a Toronto Street home in the late afternoon. He had ties to the Indian Posse street gang.

Police anticipated a long summer of gang violence, in court documents the Free Press obtained earlier this year. They cited the recent collapse of the Hells Angels as creating a toxic environment on the streets.

"Tensions are extremely high... violence is imminent," a veteran Winnipeg police officer wrote in a February affidavit.

Police singled out as cause for concern the same Redlined Support Crew gang to which Mananghaya has been linked.

Police said the Hells Angels created the group to stand up to other criminal networks that might try to muscle in on their drug turf. Redlined members were stockpiling weapons and were preparing to take out rivals "by any means necessary," police added.

The court document was used last month to obtain a search warrant for the East Kildonan home of a man linked to the Redlined gang in which a loaded handgun was found hidden in the backyard.

Police said the group made their first big impression in mid-January when they allegedly lured a member of another new local gang, the Rock Machine, to an auto-repair shop on St. Mary's Road that has connections to the Hells Angels.

"He was attacked by several members of the Redlined Support Crew and suffered a vicious beating. Two members of the Hells Angels were also present," police wrote. The victim was rushed to hospital and required emergency surgery. He has not been co-operative with police and so far no charges have been laid.

Police said the Redlined and Rock Machine gangs were trying to fill the vacuum created by an undercover sting operation dubbed Project Divide that ended last December. Police used a career criminal-turned secret agent to infiltrate the Hells Angels, resulting in the arrests of 34 members and associates. Police say every member of the Zig Zag Crew, the Hells Angels' puppet club, was put behind bars while only a handful of Hells Angels remain free. With the demand for drugs as high as ever, the criminal underworld was thrown into turmoil.

Teen gang member charged in Winnipeg shooting, also tied to 2008 death

Man charged in Winnipeg shooting tied to 2008 death

A 19-year-old man arrested in connection with a shooting that injured two young girls in Winnipeg's West End was involved in a shooting death two years ago.
CBC News is not naming the man, in order to report on the previous incident, which happened when he was a youth.
He was charged Friday with attempted murder and several weapons-related offences for two shooting incidents that occurred this week.

But in 2008, when he was 17, he was convicted after pleading to a charge of careless use of a firearm in the death of Cody Shuya, 13.
Shuya and the older teen broke into a Home Street garage on Feb. 23, 2008, and found a loaded pellet gun. They struggled for control of the gun but in the process, it went off and a shot pierced Shuya's eye and lodged in his brain.
He died the following day.
A charge of criminal negligence causing death was dropped by the court against the older teen in exchange for his plea.
At the time of his arrest he was also wanted on a warrant for violating his probation from a prior theft conviction.

Sisters hurt in shooting

Now an adult, the man was charged for his involvement in a rash of violence in the city's West End.
On Wednesday, gunshots went through the window of a house at 542 Victor Street around 6 p.m., wounding a 10-year-old girl playing inside. Her eight-year-old sister suffered superficial injuries as a result of flying debris.
According to police Chief Keith McCaskill, the shooting was retaliation for a fatal shooting Tuesday afternoon on neighbouring Toronto Street.
Kyle Earl, 16, was sitting on the front porch of a home at 646 Toronto St. when two armed people started firing at them Tuesday afternoon.
Earl was hit in the upper and lower body and died. The 13-year-old was hit in the leg and survived.
The 19-year-old was also at the house at the time and chased after the alleged gunmen.
According to police, he started shooting on nearby Agnes Street, hitting two cars, neither of which was connected to the incident.
No one inside the vehicles was hurt.
The 19-year-old was on Victor Street Wednesday when he allegedly fired more shots, one of which went into the home of the girls, police said.

Winnipeg shootings linked: police

Two shootings in Winnipeg that killed a 16-year-old and injured three other young people are connected, police said Friday.

Kyle Earl, 16, died after being shot Tuesday outside a house on Toronto Street. A 13-year-old boy who was with him was hit in the leg and survived.

The next day, on neighbouring Victor Street, a 10-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet that went through the window of a house, and her eight-year-old sister was hurt by flying debris.

The 10-year-old is in stable condition in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Until now, police had said they did not believe the incidents were connected, but Winnipeg police Chief Keith McCaskill confirmed Friday they are linked and related to street gangs.

A 19-year-old man was arrested Friday for the Victor Street shooting. He has been charged with attempted murder and several weapons-related offences.

McCaskill said that shooting was retaliation for the Toronto Street incident.

The 19-year-old was at the Toronto Street home when Earl was struck by bullets in the upper and lower body and later died inside the house.

The 19-year-old then grabbed a gun and chased after the alleged shooters, firing off a few rounds on nearby Agnes Street, police said.

Those bullets struck two cars that were not involved in the incident. No one inside the vehicles was injured.

Police say the 19-year-old was on Victor Street Wednesday when he began shooting at another person and sent a bullet through the house where the sisters were playing.

No one has yet been arrested in connection with Earl's death or the shooting of the 13-year-old boy, who was treated and released from hospital.

Gangs recruiting younger people

Winnipeg's former deputy police chief believes the city's streets are getting more violent because gangs are recruiting younger people.

The younger the gangster, the more likely he or she is to react violently to the slightest provocation, said Menno Zacharias.

"A lot of the young people that are involved in this lifestyle really have no hesitation to react to even being insulted," he said. "[If] somebody verbally insults them, that, in their minds, is justification for taking serious action."

Liz Wolfe, program manager for New Directions — a community agency that works with street youth — said many gang members don't believe they will live past the age of 21, so they are not concerned that the lifestyle they lead is dangerous.

Gang violence breeds a fatalistic attitude, she said.

"Every time one of these boys is murdered, it reinforces to our young people that that is their life," Wolfe said.

McCaskill announced Thursday that more police officers will be dedicated to patrolling the city's West End, where the shootings happened.

"We've got now our street crimes unit, our community support unit and other officers that are going to be actively patrolling that area more so than in the past," he said.

"We are going to have some foot patrols in there as well."

More and younger teens are joining gangs, says a local agency

More and younger teens joining gangs: local agency

Recent gunplay in the West End has catapulted Winnipeg’s gang situation and the troubling issue of teenage gangsters into the spotlight.

A Winnipegger who counsels at-risk youth from neighbourhoods where this kind of violence is happening says she’s encountering more program participants who have gang ties.

“They are still children. We as a community have a responsibility to protect children and I don’t think it’s being done well enough,” said Liz Wolff, a program manager and clinician at New Directions.

Kids are getting involved with gangs at a younger age, Wolff said.

“We know that our 16-year-olds have siblings, 12 or 13, who are gang-involved,” Wolff said. “Many run drugs or are peripherally involved.”

Wolff said the agency has seen an increase in reports of youths carrying a firearm on New Directions property, which is strictly forbidden.

She said teens turn to gangs to find a sense of belonging and an identity.

Most kids go to school and belong to sports teams, a choir or other activities or groups, she said, but the kids in New Directions programs aren’t attached to schools or clubs.

For some, it’s part of their survival because they come from poverty and have little, while others are influenced by gang-associated relatives, Wolff said.

“For some it’s a way of life,” she said. “It’s not easy to get out but a lot of the kids identify that they do want to get out.”

Many have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or cognitive deficits, putting them at a disadvantage from birth, Wolff said.

New Directions offers four programs for youths aged 16 to 19 who aren’t in school, Wolff said.

One is for Level 4 auto thieves, a second assists newcomer refugees, a third is called Project VIP (violence intervention and prevention), and a fourth offers training resources, she said.

The programs accept 135 youths per year and 55% wind up going back to school or finding work, Wolff said.

She was unaware of how many exit gang life.

Suspect links west end shootings

It turns out there is a connection between a pair of shootings in the West End — which killed one child and injured three others — after all, Winnipeg’s police chief says.

An alleged gunman was involved in both.

Chief Keith McCaskill said Friday investigators uncovered the link when they arrested a 19-year-old man and obtained new details.

The information came to light after McCaskill spoke to reporters Thursday, telling them there was no evidence of a link.

McCaskill wouldn’t reveal the new details but said police learned of the man’s alleged role as a triggerman in both incidents. The man has gang ties, he said.

The first shooting occurred when two gunmen sprayed a Toronto Street home with bullets Tuesday afternoon, killing Kyle Earl, 16, and wounding Byron Cook, his 13-year-old friend, who were outside on a porch with at least one other person.

The 19-year-old, a friend of the victims, was armed with a gun and chased and shot at the suspects on Agnes Street in retaliation, police allege.

The shots missed the suspects and struck two uninvolved cars, including one occupied by three people.

The 19-year-old was arrested Thursday. The homicide suspects haven’t been caught, police said.

McCaskill previously said the shooting was “gang related to a degree.” Earl claimed involvement with a Winnipeg street gang.

On Wednesday evening, the 19-year-old allegedly shot at a person on Victor Street but missed, striking a home’s window. Inside, a 10-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the leg while her eight-year-old sister was injured by debris, possibly broken glass, police said.

“Thank God these kids weren’t killed. That easily could have happened,” McCaskill said.

He said the house was a backdrop to the shooting and wasn’t targeted but the incident wasn’t a random act.

Police were mum on other details, refusing to comment on the motives or discuss whether the shootings are part of a gang feud.

Marcus Abe Payash, 19, of Winnipeg is charged with three counts of attempted murder and single counts of carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm while prohibited in the Agnes Street shooting.

He’s also charged with attempted murder while using a firearm and two counts of discharging a firearm with intent to wound, maim or disfigure.

The 14-year-old boy, who was allegedly with the 19-year-old on Victor Street, is charged with failing to comply with an undertaking and two counts of aggravated assault.

Police returned to the Toronto Street home Friday to arrest a male who allegedly caused a disturbance and was armed with a knife.

I agree that teens join gangs because they feel a need for belonging and identity, if they lack attention, interaction or are neglected by the parents. These teens often live in poverty, are unemployed, have dropped out of school, have mental health issues or behavioural problems, and often have substance abuse issues. These teens need help to overcome these issues. We need to implement more gang prevention and desistance programs, positive role models and tutors and mentors, more recreational facilities and activities for youths, family violence programs and counseling, parenting programs, substance abuse programs, improved access to education and money incentives to graduate, employment assistance and resources, life skills/stress management/risk management/coping with life's challenges, etc. etc. If we can implement these strategies, we can more effectively reduce crime, instead of only relying upon prison as a solution. Prison is a quick fix, not a long term solution. 

Son's gang related death, a mother's worst nightmare

Son's slaying a mom's nightmare

Kyle Earl was a troubled teenager who proudly brandished a red bandana, flashed gang signs in photos, had a history of run-ins with the law and recently got out of jail.

But the city's latest homicide victim was also a beloved boy whose dedicated mother was scared daily for her only child's safety.

Brenda Earl's worst fears were realized when her 16-year-old son was gunned down Tuesday afternoon by two males who fired about 15 bullets at a Toronto Street front porch where he sat. His 13-year-old friend Byron Cook, who lives on the top floor of the white triplex, was also struck but survived the attack.

Police are now seeking Earl's killers, as well as a gun-toting friend of the victims who chased after the shooters and began firing in retaliation. Those bullets struck a Dodge Neon with three uninvolved adults inside and a parked Sunfire two blocks east on Agnes Street.

"I'm thankful, and I know the service is very thankful, that we're not reporting more injuries today," Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said Wednesday.

Justice sources say the death points to mounting gang tensions in the city. Police said Wednesday there's "no question" they're looking at gang connections to the brazen attack.

"This is not a random act. This incident and these individuals, based on our investigation at this point, these individuals were targeted," Michalyshen said.

Winnipeg police flooded the same West End neighbourhood early Wednesday evening after bullets began flying on Victor Street. A 10-year-old girl was shot in the leg and an eight-year-old girl was grazed in the head after a gunman opened fire on a house in the 500 block of Victor Street. Police don't believe there is any link to the Tuesday attack and have made no arrests.

Area residents say a group of boys had been hanging out in front of the Toronto Street home recently yelling gang slogans. One neighbour said that about three days ago, a woman walked by crying after the boys harassed her. Police said both victims were known to them, but did not comment on the boys' gang involvement.

Brenda Earl was devastated by the death of her son and was staying with family friends Wednesday night.

"She doesn't know whether she's coming or going," a family friend said. He rushed to be with the grieving mother after police showed up at her door. "It's such a shock... We're trying to circle the wagons and hopefully get her through this tough period in time and get her back on her feet."

Sources said her son, who was more than six feet tall, was living at another home while his mother tried to regain full custody of him in her St. Boniface home. He had lived previously with a foster mother on London Street and had attended Kildonan East Collegiate.

He dropped out of school and got into selling drugs. Relatives emphasized he was a "well-behaved" young man who loved video games and was trying to sort his life out.

The family friend said Kyle's mother feared for her son "every day of her life" before his death. The friend accepts the police assertion that the shooting may be gang-related.

"I think he was an average teenager who got involved with the gang organizations in this province, and in effect, I guess, took that to be his destiny," the friend said. "Whether that's right or not, I'd say it probably isn't, with my background and upbringing, but I guess he felt that that was his destiny, and unfortunately when you get involved with that, there's also the chance that things can go wrong."

Kyle's father was not an active presence in his life, said a relative, and family court documents indicate his mother pursued his father for custody payments more than 15 years ago. The friend said they are waiting for officials to release Kyle's body so they can plan his funeral.

"Parents are definitely not set up to bury their children," the friend said. "(I think she had) a mother's instinct, might be the best word, or just a gut feeling, that trouble was brewing and things could take a turn for the worse."

Court records show Kyle was arrested in December 2008 and charged with a series of crimes, including three counts of theft, three counts of mischief and failing to comply with a court order.

The teen pleaded guilty in May 2009 and was given 12 months of supervised probation. 

He was rearrested in July 2009 and charged with a violent robbery and failing to comply with terms of his sentence. He pleaded guilty in October 2009 and was given 46 days of time already spent in custody, six more months in jail, three months of community supervision and two more years of probation. He was also given a weapons prohibition.

Although his specific release date isn't clear, Kyle is believed to have been returned to the community earlier this spring and to have been serving the community supervision part of his sentence at the time of his death.

Police tape still surrounded 646 Toronto St. Wednesday afternoon, with two mountain bikes on their sides on the home's front lawn near a beaten-up baby stroller. Exhausted tenants who live in other rental suites there sprawled out near the sidewalk after a long night of talking with police. Evidence of the paramedics' fight to treat the boys after the shooting was still on display, including an abandoned set of blue rubber plastic gloves and a sealed bandage.

Around the home's front door and inside entrance were bullet holes marked with yellow police tape. Tape also surrounded an address facing 646 Toronto, on the east side of the street, where forensic officers gestured at a nearby tree. Repair workers tramped in and out of a home directly south of the property, where a bullet had whizzed into the front window and shattered the glass, causing $500 damage.

Kyle's friends quickly set up a tribute page on Facebook, where dozens of teens expressed shock, sadness and condolence.

Two young girls, who identified themselves as girlfriends of Indian Posse members, spoke of possible revenge in their postings. One girl wrote an email to the Free Press noting the recent arrests of 31 Hells Angels members and associates, which justice officials say has created a dangerous situation on the streets, with street gangs now vying for control of the lucrative drug trade.

"I know the HA (Hells Angels) is all big, you gotta remember they might run the insides (jail), but they don't run the outsides," she wrote.

Two gang related attacks in Winnipeg west end, suspect arrested

West end residents set to march, call for safety

WEST End residents are planning to take back their streets in a public march on Tuesday.

About 65 people gathered at the West End Cultural Centre Friday afternoon in a hastily organized meeting following two shootings on nearby Toronto Street and Victor Street this week.

"A child died and... three others were hit, (two) through windows," said Kate Sjoberg, Spence Neighbourhood Association executive director.

"These are extreme events and folks are worried about their safety."

She said residents of the West End are "very concerned" in light of recent incidents.

Sjoberg said she believes in social programming to help fight crime.

"I think we need to wake up and realize the crime-and-punishment approach is not the answer for what's going on," she said.

"We've been pushing for increased programming and increased programming hours at the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, and throughout the community for some time, and we haven't been able to get increased city support for this work."

Sjoberg pulled together the meeting Friday, which had about six to eight police officers present.

There were also community workers, like public health nurses and local school staff, to talk about safety. The march against violence will start at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Maryland Tot Lot, next to the Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, and will proceed down Agnes, Toronto and Victor streets. Police arrested 34-year-old Greg Glen Hope this week in connection with the abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl near the recreation centre.

West end shooting linked, suspect arrested

WINNIPEG — Police have arrested a 19-year-old gang associate they say was involved with two West End shootings this week in which innocent bystanders and vehicles were struck by bullets.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Keith McCaskill said the accused — whose name has not yet been released — was involved in shooting up a Victor Street home Wednesday evening. Two girls, aged 10 and 8, were injured. Police say they were not the intended targets.

The same man has being linked to shots that rang out on Agnes Street Tuesday moments after the fatal shooting of Kyle Earl, 16, and the wounding of his 13-year-old friend, Byron Cook, on Toronto Street. He allegedly chased after Earl's two killers — who have yet to be arrested — and fired several shots which struck two vehicles. Nobody was injured.

In reaction to the shootings, police announced Thursday there will be enhanced foot patrols and presence by the Street Crime Unit and Community Support Unit in the West End area.

"There were two innocent kids hurt in this," said McCaskill.

Police had said there was no connection between two incidents Thursday but then changed tack a day later. McCaskill said they received information Thursday that "shed a different light" on the shootings.

"One of the very important things for the public to understand in the West End is that we have taken the person off the street that shot, and shot again," said McCaskill. "That person is off the street."

A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Thursday in connection with the Victor Street shooting. The Free Press has learned he was out on bail at the time for a previous shooting incident that happened outside a Winnipeg middle school. He is accused in that incident of shooting two students with an air gun.

Police believe the 14-year-old was with the 19-year-old at the time of the Victor Street shooting.

"We said it wasn't random, we didn't believe it was, but our information now is that the (19-year-old) person that is under arrest, we believe was shooting at another individual and that the bullets went through that window," said Chief Keith McCaskill.

McCaskill didn't say who the shooters were targeting when they ended up hitting the two girls. The oldest was struck in the leg with a bullet, while the youngest was grazed in the head with debris after three bullets pierced the window of the rental property at 542 Victor Street.

Another teenage boy lives at the property with the girls.

"It was a backdrop, almost," said McCaskill.

Police are continuing to search for the two men who gunned down Earl in what is believed to be a "targeted" attack. Both Earl and Cook had ties to the Indian Posse street gang.

Teenage boys gunned down

Two teen boys were gunned down Tuesday in a brazen daylight shooting that left residents reeling after watching bullets fly on two West End streets.

One of the teens has died, according to justice sources.

As police hunt for the shooter, some justice officials fear the shocking afternoon attack could be the beginning of a major clash between Winnipeg's street gangs, an outbreak of violence police warned could happen this spring and summer.

According to sources, at about 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday, two boys aged 16 and 13 were sitting on the steps outside a peeling beige house at 646 Toronto St. when shots rang out. Bullets struck the older boy in the chest and the younger boy in the leg.

Minutes later and unaware of the Toronto shooting, residents on nearby Agnes Street watched in horror as the drama unfolded on their street.

One woman had just returned to her Agnes Street home from school, when she heard people yelling "stay away, there's shots fired." She looked out her bedroom window and watched as a man dashed onto Agnes from the back lane closest to Toronto Street, pointed a gun, and fired at least five shots at a black Dodge Neon.

"He was shooting at somebody," the resident said, describing the gunman as an aboriginal male in his mid-20s wearing a black hoodie.

Half an hour after the incident, before police reached the scene on Agnes, two piles of shell casings lay where they had been fired. Residents identified the shells as belonging to a .22-calibre gun.

Two shells lay on the ground near where the man emerged from between the houses and took aim before struggling with his gun briefly; residents say it appeared to jam. A short walk up the street, three more shells lay behind a tree where residents saw the shooter take cover while he fired at the car. After shooting, the man ran east between houses and into the back lane between Agnes and McGee Street.

By then, police had rushed to the shooting scene on Toronto. While television cameras rolled, police performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the 16-year-old. Although police would only confirm the teen was sent to hospital in critical condition, a justice source told the Free Press he was dead on arrival. The younger boy was admitted to hospital in stable condition.

Police would confirm few details on Tuesday afternoon. "We have a lot of work to do," said Const. Jason Michalyshen, adding police did not yet have anyone in custody. "It's difficult for us to paint a picture of what has taken place."

An hour after the shooting, behind the ribbons of yellow police-tape that circled the block, police huddled near the porch of the Toronto Street house, gingerly stepping over a bicycle lying across the home's front yard. Neighbours said they did not know who the boys were, adding "new people are coming in and out of there all the time."

Some of them, apparently, not so savoury: The slain teen had ties to the Indian Posse street gang, a justice source told the Free Press, and police are bracing against the threat of retaliation. The Indian Posse has beefs with a number of other street gangs, including its rivals in the Native Syndicate and the Manitoba Warriors.

Earlier this year, a veteran police officer wrote a gang showdown in Winnipeg was "imminent," after the capture of all Zig Zag Crew gang members and most of the Hells Angels left a gaping void in control of the city's drug market. In documents written to obtain a search warrant in February, the officer said the winter's relative calm would likely be broken as gangs agitated to take out their rivals "by any means necessary."

West end shooting may be targetted gang related attack

WINNIPEG - A shooting that killed a teenaged boy in the city's West End neighbourhood Tuesday afternoon was possibly a targeted, gang-related attack, Winnipeg police said today.

Const. Jason Michalyshen said two suspects arrived at a Toronto Street residence just before 3 p.m. Tuesday, then shot at the two boys, aged 13 and 16.  

The older boy suffered gun shot wounds to his upper and lower body. He was taken to hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries, Michalyshen said. The 13-year-old boy was hit in the lower body,' he was treated in hospital and released.

"This is not a random act," Michalyshen said during a news conference from the Public Safety Building this afternoon. "These individuals were targeted."

A second shooting happened when an associate of the two boys followed their attackers and eventually discharged a firearm in the 600 block of Agnes Street, two blocks to the east of where the initial attack occurred, police said. Two vehicles were struck; they were unrelated to the first shooting and no one was injured.

No arrests have been made.

The two boys who were shot were friends, and they were previously known to police, Michalyshen said. "Both individuals have had police involvement in the past," he said. "We’ve had contact with them in the past."

Michalyshen would not say if the boys had gang ties, but he said the shooting was being investigated as possibly gang-related.  A justice source told the Free Press the slain teen had ties to the Indian Posse street gang, and police were bracing against the threat of retaliation.

Michalyshen said that given the shootings occurred in the middle of the afternoon, police believe it’s fortunate that innocent bystanders were not injured.

Police presence in high-crime areas can be increased, Michalyshen said but added that police cannot put officers on every street corner for every hour of the day.

"No community in this city deserves to be subject to this kind (of violence)," Michalyshen said.

Gangs are imminent in the west end and inner cities, and locking them up in prison, will not stop the gang violence, as often individuals become more entrenched in the gang and drug lifestyle in prisons as pro criminal attitudes and behaviours are prevalent in the negative prison environment surrounded by negative influences and role models. 

In order to help prevent and reduce gang crimes, we need to develop and establish more gang prevention programs. We need programs that offer tutoring and positive role models and mentors to at-risk youth in the inner cities, and programs that teach life skills, stress management, responsibility and how to deal and cope with life challenges and family violence. There needs to be more recreational facilities and opportunities, family violence counseling programs, risk management programs, substance abuse programs, employment assistance and resources for youth, mental health services and resources, etc. We need to focus on reducing poverty, revitalizing the inner cities, and reducing unemployment, family violence and dysfunction and neglect/abuse. All of this, will in turn, help to reduce crime.  

Human skull found near St. Anne, Manitoba

Skull found near St.Anne

Police launched an investigation to determine the identity of human remains after a dog uncovered a skull in the rural municipality of Ste. Anne.

RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish said an area resident contacted police late Thursday after his dog found a human skull on his farm. Karpish said officers from the major crime unit in Winnipeg were dispatched, along with members of the search and rescue unit to comb the property for any further evidence of remains.

"They came in to do a more extensive search and did end up finding more bones. So then our identification unit became involved," Karpish said.

At the scene on Saturday, ribbons of red tape were woven between trees and dense brush that line the road, which runs through the Lilac campground and looks onto the Trans-Canada Highway. Neighbours peeped out at media from behind their fences.

The discovery prompted area residents to speculate the bones could belong to Christine Jack, a 33-year-old mother of two who disappeared from her home in Winnipeg's St. Vital neighbourhood on Dec. 17, 1988.

At that time, police searched the same area in Ste. Anne after residents said they saw someone driving a vehicle similar to Jack's the night of her disappearance. Her body was never found.

Jack's husband, former Winnipeg Blue Bomber receiver Brian Jack, was charged with his wife's murder but ultimately walked free following three high-profile trials and a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada that he couldn't be tried again.

Area resident Craig Ross said neighbours are already discussing the possibility the skeletal remains could be Christine Jack's.

"It's in the back of my mind and she hasn't been found," Ross said. "You're always hoping the family could get some kind of closure."

Karpish said RCMP received multiple calls from people inquiring about possible connections with the Jack case.

"That's all it is, it's speculation. It could be anybody," she said.

"We do have some missing people, but we don't know that.

"We're going to find out who that person is and hopefully the post-mortem will give us some answers."

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. Investigators may have to use DNA or dental records to identify the skull and bones, Karpish said.

She said it's impossible to tell whether the remains have been there since last fall or for years.

She said speculation the remains belong to Jack could cause her family grief if they are found to belong to somebody else.

"We're still in the early stages of the investigation," she said.

Winnipeg's 7th homicide -- Victim's smile like "a million bucks"

Slaying victim's smile like a million bucks

The family of the city's latest homicide victim is remembering a "bright teenager with a smile that was like a million bucks."

Winnipeg police weren't saying who the seventh homicide victim of 2010 was, but family and friends on the man's Facebook page identified him as 19-year-old Jordan Shane McIvor.

McIvor died shortly after being rushed to hospital at about 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Witnesses were saying hours later he had either been stabbed with a knife or struck by wooden planks, possibly with nails sticking out of them.

Little more than two hours before he was found in an alley between a Manitoba Housing apartment block at 1585 Notre Dame Ave. and Bannatyne Avenue, McIvor sent a message to his friends: "chillin out in tha WESTSIDE......ya'll no wat it is!!!!!!!!!!!"

McIvor's Facebook page said he had just begun a relationship on Sunday with a woman who, a person outside the Notre Dame apartment said, lived inside the building.

The same person believed another person in the building was a suspect. Police did not confirm whether they have someone in custody.

Neighbours said the woman had been taken away by police for questioning.

Hours later, several of McIvor's family and friends were using their own Facebook pages to express their shock and grief at the young man's sudden passing.

"Love u bro" said one, while another said "you'll always be rememberd and missed."

One friend was angry and asked people "who was wit him?"

"Anyone have his back do u have any idea who tha f... done this or wut gang?"

A Facebook memorial page for McIvor quickly had more than 100 members sign up to express their grief.

McIvor's aunt, Alaya, said on Facebook that her nephew will be missed by many members of his family. She said Jordan is originally from the Sandy Bay First Nation, where his mother and father still live.

"We are trying to coming to grips with the violence that hit our family like a volt of lightning unexpected," she said. "We feel helpless right now because there is nothing we could do to bring him back to us. We need to stop this kind of harsh violence in our community."

Meanwhile, Winnipeg police were being tight-lipped about the slaying. All police would say is a man, who suffered injuries to his upper body, died after being rushed to hospital. Police said they knew the identity of the man, but were not releasing it yet "in consideration of the family."

Police are asking anyone with any information to call officers at 986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477).

For hours, police took photographs and gathered evidence in two separate courtyards between the four apartment buildings and in the alley behind. Police also took photographs of broken parts of a white wooden fence behind a house on Cecil Street.

The entire apartment block, as well as the alley from Bannatyne Avenue to Cecil Street, was blocked off with yellow tape.

A man, who would only say his name was Chuck, said he went outside his apartment suite after hearing a woman crying.

"I came out and the lady was sitting beside him (the victim) on the ground," he said.

"She had phoned 911 and she handed me her cellphone. I checked for a heart beat. He wasn't breathing. He was dead."

Chuck said he noticed a puncture wound in the man's upper chest.

Chuck said he didn't know who the man was, but when asked if he knew the woman, he said he couldn't comment any further.

Another man who lives nearby said all he could say was he saw two men running in the back lane and one of them was holding a knife.

A woman in her seventies, who didn't want her name used, said "I heard yelling and woke up.

"I looked out the window. Two guys were running through the yard with building planks," said the tenant, who has lived in one of the buildings for 32 years. She said there was lumber nearby that was being used for work on the apartments.

"I heard the woman screaming."

"Then I saw two guys running into the street, onto Notre Dame, with wood the builders were using."

Seventh homicide of 2010

WINNIPEG -- City police now say the death of a man in the 1500 block of Notre Dame Avenue this morning is a homicide.

Officers were called to the scene about 2:30 a.m. The victim had suffered serious injuries to his upper body.

It's Winnipeg's seventh homicide of 2010.

This morning, investigators have the front of Milton Court --  four, three-storey brick apartment buildings -- at 1585 Notre Dame Ave. blocked off with yellow tape. The buildings, operated by Manitoba Housing, are between Bannatyne Avenue and Cecil Street.

One Bannatyne Avenue resident, whose home backs onto the Manitoba Housing development, said he didn't hear anything out the ordinary during the night.

"I woke up this morning and there were cop cars in the lane," the resident said.

Grief stricken father blaming himself -- Wishes he gave daughter more protection

Grief stricken dad blaming himself

Wishes he gave 23 year old daughter more protection

A day after her uncle was charged with her slaying, the grieving father of a Wolseley woman killed last week is blaming himself for not protecting her.

Ed Gastador said if he had protected her, his 23-year-old adopted daughter, Catherine, might be alive today.

"I should have given her more protection," Gastador said Saturday.

"We're just glad that (police) got him."

Winnipeg police said Mario Ronquillo Valdez, 36, has been charged with second-degree murder and failing to comply with conditions of a recognizance.

Catherine Gastador was discovered dead in her Preston Avenue condominium on Tuesday when her father went to see why she hadn't gone to work.

A knife was found beside her body.

Valdez, who is the brother of Catherine Gastador's adoptive mother, was arrested on Friday and has been detained in custody.

Ed Gastador said his wife, Charito, has no feelings towards her brother.

"She's crying for her daughter -- she doesn't care about him," he said.

"She has no sympathy for him."

Gastador said the slaying comes 28 years after he and his wife sponsored Valdez to move to Canada from the Philippines with the rest of his family.

"He came here when he was six years old. We wanted him to make a future here.

"This is a nightmare for me."

Uncle charged in Wolsely woman's death

The uncle of a Winnipeg woman slain last week has been charged with her death.

Winnipeg police said today that Mario Ronquillo Valdez, 36, has been charged with second degree murder and failure to comply with conditions of a recognizance.

Valdez, who was arrested on Friday, has been detained in custody.

Catherine Gastador, 23, was found dead on Tuesday by her father in a Preston Avenue condominium. Her father, Ed, had gone to the suite after the woman's employer phoned him to say she hadn't gone to work.

A knife was found beside the woman's body.

Valdez is brother of Gastador's adoptive mother.

Revoking protection orders 'not unusual' in abuse: expert
Catherine Gastador was granted a protection order against the man now accused of killing her her but just five months later sought to have it revoked.
Women may seek to revoke an order for a variety of reasons, including fear, family pressures, or a genuine belief they are no longer in need of protection, said Joy Dupont, training co-ordinator for Manitoba Justice’s victim services department.
“It’s not unusual ... that the person causing the fear will take steps to improve themselves or express remorse because they don’t want the relationship to end,” she said. “It’s not unusual that the person who got the protection order may think it’s safer now.”
In other cases a woman may be manipulated into revoking a protection order, believing it necessary to “keep the peace” with their friends or family, Dupont said.
The body of Catherine Gastador, 23, was found Tuesday in her condo and her adoptive uncle, 36-year-old Mario Ronquillo Valdez, is charged with second-degree murder.
Gastador was granted a three-year protection order against Valdez in February 2007 after telling the court he assaulted her on two separate occasions. According to court documents, one of the assaults occurred at the Merchants Hotel, where Valdez worked as a bartender and Gastador was a waitress. Gastador alleged Valdez choked her after the two got into an argument over a slow service complaint.
In June 2007, Gastador asked the court to set aside the protection order, calling it “a mistake.” Gastador said her drinking was partly to blame for the assaults and called Valdez her “favourite uncle.”
Describing the bar incident, Gastador wrote in an affidavit: “I might have made him feel like I was the boss of him ... He didn’t have to push me down and choke me, but I kind of asked for it because I was being disrespectful.”
It’s not clear when Valdez moved into the Preston Avenue condo building Gastador also called home.
Dupont — not speaking specifically of the Gastador case — said women in abusive relationships will often minimize or deny the abuse, or blame themselves.
“It’s part of the cycle of violence ... they are made to believe they are culpable as well,” she said.

Uncle accused in niece's slaying
A Winnipeg father is struggling to understand not only why his daughter was stabbed to death, but how the man accused of killing her could be a relative he helped enter Canada from the Philippines to live a better life.
After Mario Ronquillo Valdez was charged in Tuesday’s slaying of Catherine Gastador, 23, at her Wolseley condominium, the victim’s father, Eduardo Gastador, suggested that the questions are nearly as much of a burden as the tragedy itself.
He said the 36-year-old Valdez — a brother of his wife Charito Gastador, and Catherine’s uncle through adoption — might not have come to Canada in the early 1980s if it hadn’t been for his sponsorship in the immigration process.
“That’s on my mind too. “Why did he do that to us, to my daughter? Because we — me and my wife — are the ones who sponsored them to come to Canada,” Eduardo Gastador said of the help they had given to Valdez and a couple of his family members.
“And then they stayed at our house, in this house,” he said on his doorstep in Tyndall Park. “Mario was only six years old.”
The early assistance to the newcomers, he said, also included help with moving and finding furniture.
A three-year protection order was granted to Catherine Gastador in February 2007 to keep Valdez away from her. Though police announced Friday that they had arrested a suspect in her slaying, they didn’t release his name till Saturday.
Valdez is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of Catherine Gastador, whom police confirm died of multiple stab wounds and other upper-body injuries.
He remains in custody and is also charged with failing to comply with conditions of a recognizance in an unrelated matter.
Other questions swirling around the Gastador family include why Catherine had applied to have the protection order withdrawn about five months after it was issued — and why Valdez has apparently been living at the same Preston Avenue condo complex as her while allegedly telling some people that they were a couple.

Arrest made in Wolsely woman's killing

Arrest made in Wolsely woman's slaying

The family of a slain Winnipeg woman said Friday they're relieved investigators have made an arrest in the woman's death.

Police said Friday morning they had a man in custody -- but weren't releasing his name -- after Catherine Gastador, 23, was found dead Tuesday in a Preston Avenue condominium block known as the Rothesay.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the man was arrested Friday morning. The suspect faces a second-degree murder charge, but no formal charge has yet been laid.

Gastador was a legal assistant at Fillmore Riley who had wanted to pursue a law career. Her father, Ed Gastador, said he discovered her body in the bedroom of her condo Tuesday afternoon after she didn't show up for work and her fellow employees became worried.

A knife was found beside Catherine's body.

Ed Castador said investigators came to his home Friday morning to tell him about the arrest, but did not divulge the man's identity.

"I feel glad and relieved," he said.

Slain woman's relative told others they were dating: dad
An arrest in Winnipeg’s latest homicide has brought relief to the victim’s parents — even as a new discovery about their daughter’s relationship with a relative has left them bewildered.
Following the slaying of 23-year-old legal assistant Catherine Gastador days ago at her condominium at the Rothesay complex in Wolseley, city police said Friday they’ve arrested a man who faces a charge of second-degree murder.
Police have said almost nothing else about the case, or the discovery of the victim’s body in her suite on Tuesday.
Eduardo Gastador, the father of the city’s sixth homicide victim of the year, said police contacted him about the arrest Friday morning.
“They didn’t give us the name. But I’m feeling relief,” Gastador said of the suspect, whose age was not made public.
Gastador said he and his wife Charito — who adopted Catherine in the Philippines before moving to Winnipeg — have been comforted and “inspired” by supporters.
“I’m very happy about that. But it’s not enough,” he said of the arrest. “My daughter is gone. It’s too late now.”
Adding to the family’s stress are separate discoveries about a male relative against whom Catherine had been granted a three-year protection order in February 2007. She applied months later to have the order rescinded.
Eduardo Gastador said he learned this week that the relative has been living at the same condo building as Catherine.
“I didn’t know that,” he said. “He was even saying to everyone that Catherine and him were (dating).”

Slain woman had filed protection order against a relative

Protection order `a mistake`: victim -- slain woman had said her drinking, not `violent` relative to blame

A young Winnipeg woman found dead in her Wolseley apartment previously filed a protection order against a relative she said assaulted her on two separate occasions.

Catherine Gastador, 23, was found stabbed to death Tuesday in her Preston Avenue condominium.

According to court records, Gastador was granted a three-year protection order in February 2007. The protection order prohibited the male relative from being within 100 metres of Gastador, following her, or communicating with her in any way.

Gastador told court the man assaulted her in his car on Feb. 10, 2007, following a birthday party for her mother. Gastador said the man grabbed her by the hair and “threw her around” the car.

“I have no idea why he is being so violent toward me,” she told court. “I just want him to stay away just in case I do something wrong to him.”

In January 2006, the man was a bartender at a hotel bar where Gastador worked as a waitress. Gastador said the man choked her after the two got into an argument over a slow service complaint.

‘A bit violent’

Just five months after the protection order was granted, Gastador sought an order to set it aside, telling the court “it was a mistake.”

In a June 15, 2007, affidavit, Gastador wrote she had been drinking both times the man allegedly assaulted her.

“I’ve recently learned that I too become a bit violent when I’ve had a few to drink,” she wrote.

Gastador described the man as “caring and generous” and said he deserved to be welcomed back to the family.

“I believe he deserves to be part of our family functions,” she wrote. “I feel awful and greedy to be fully blaming him for what was my fault too ... I do not feel a threat coming from (him) anymore because now I understand that it is me that needs to control my alcohol consumption.”

The man is before the courts on an unrelated charge of assault causing bodily harm dating to October 2009. He made his first court appearance Thursday. He has one prior conviction for assault in April 2007.

As of press time Thursday, police had yet to announce an arrest in the killing.

Man faces charge of second degree murder, in death of Wolsely woman

Man arrested in death of Wolsely woman

WINNIPEG -- A man faces a second-degree murder charge in the death of a 23-year-old Winnipeg woman Tuesday.

Catherine Gastador was found dead in her Wolseley area condo Tuesday evening.

Police said more information will be released once formal charges have been laid against the suspect.

Victim granted a restraining order

Victim granted restraining order -- uncle lived in same building

The man named in a recently expired restraining order Catherine Gastador had obtained because of fears for her personal safety was living in the same apartment block in which her bloodied body was found Tuesday afternoon.

The Free Press has also learned police arrested the man on an unrelated matter the day after her slaying and, even though the Crown fought to keep him behind bars, he was released Thursday.

Gastador, 23, was found stabbed to death Tuesday afternoon inside her suite at 828 Preston Ave. Police haven't announced any arrests.

Court documents obtained Thursday by the Free Press show Gastador went to court in February 2007 and was granted a three-year order against the 33-year-old brother of her adopted mother. The order stated the man could not follow or communicate with her and had to stay more than 100 metres from where she lived.

She cited a series of violent incidents that left her fearing for her safety in a case that was eventually red-flagged by justice officials and referred to a provincial victim's services agency for follow-up investigation.

"I am concerned that he is able to use anything around him as a weapon. Especially if he had been drinking," Gastador wrote in her affidavit to a provincial magistrate. "I truly fear him. He is very violent, he has no respect for any of the family members... and he does not fear anyone. He has emotionally and physically hurt me and I want it to stop."

The granting of a protective order is not proof all allegations made in the affidavit are true, although it does mean the court found she had reasonable grounds to be concerned he was a risk to her safety.

The Free Press has learned the subject of the restraining order -- which expired in February 2010 -- was arrested Wednesday inside the same Wolseley complex where he'd been living with his 13-year-old son.

The now 36-year-old man had been wanted since last October on an outstanding warrant for assault causing bodily harm against a co-worker at a construction job site. Sources say it was only discovered and executed by police as part of the ongoing homicide investigation. The Crown fought to keep the man behind bars Thursday, citing other convictions for weapons and violence, but provincial court Judge Brian Corrin agreed to released him on several bail conditions. There was no mention by either Crown or defence lawyers about Gastador's slaying.

A resident of the building told the Free Press the man had been going around claiming he was in a relationship with Gastador, who is not a blood relative but would usually refer to him as her uncle. The pair were often spotted together. This came as news to Ed and Charito Gastador, who told the Free Press they had no idea the man was living so close to their daughter. They were equally shocked to learn Catherine had actually filed an affidavit in June 2007 in which she seemed to recant all of the earlier statements they helped her put down on paper about being afraid of the man.

"I'm thinking she got brainwashed," Ed Gastador said of his daughter, whom they adopted as a baby in the Philippines and brought to Canada at the age of eight. He said the family has lost touch with the man and haven't spoken to him in ages.

The Free Press obtained copies of both affidavits Catherine Gastador filed. In the original affidavit to obtain the order, Gastador said her uncle began beating her and pulling her hair following an argument that began inside a car after leaving her mother's birthday party. She said he had launched a similar attack weeks earlier while both were working inside the Merchant's Hotel on Selkirk; he as a bartender, she as a waitress. She said her uncle was drunk on the job and shoved her to the ground, choking her, when she asked him to fill a drink order.

Gastador then did a complete reversal with her follow-up affidavit.

"It was a mistake. I was also a bit intoxicated and I've recently learned that I too become a bit violent when I've had a few to drink. I believe that he was just holding me down from making violent moves towards him," she wrote.

She also cited concern the restraining order would prevent her uncle from attending an upcoming family wedding.

"He is my favourite uncle. He is a very giving and generous family member. He has helped each of us individually and because of my mistake, the people he has helped cannot even thank him in person on their wedding day," she wrote. She said her uncle is more "like one of my friends" who has played an important role in her life.

"He still acts young and cool but he also has taught me how to be responsible with a lot of things in my life. And more importantly he has taken time to help me grow up," she said.

A magistrate refused to rescind the original restraining order and instead referred the entire case to the provincial victim's services. It's not clear what, if anything, happened with the case from there. However, it never did return to court and the restraining order remained in place until it expired three months ago. Gastador was studying to advance her career in law and began working at Fillmore Riley this spring as a legal assistant.

A father`s worst nightmare: Finds his daughter`s body

A father`s nightmare: finds daughter`s body

WINNIPEG - Climbing the steps to his daughter's Wolseley condo, Ed Gastador wondered why the petite 23-year-old had missed work and wasn't answering the telephone.

Using a duplicate key to let himself into her suite Tuesday afternoon, he found Catherine's lifeless, bloodied body on her bed, with wounds on her back and a knife lying beside her.

Winnipeg police are investigating Catherine Gastador's death as the city's sixth homicide of 2010.

"We're in shock," said Ed Gastador, joined by his wife, Charito, on Wednesday inside their Tyndall Avenue home. "My daughter's gone.

"She was so young, she wanted to pursue more. My daughter was a very ambitious lady."

Homicide investigators were interviewing witnesses Wednesday and no arrests had been made by press time, a police spokesman said.

Neighbours at the condo block at 828 Preston Ave. said they'd seen Catherine walking her fluffy white dog there recently. She'd lived at the brick heritage building known as the Rothesay for about three years, and one resident said they regularly saw her with another man who who lived in the block.

Ed Gastador said his daughter was studying to advance her career and she was "ambitious" in her pursuits, especially about a career in law.

"She was so happy, especially when she was with her friends," he said.

However, her life wasn't without turmoil. Court records show Catherine had filed a protection order in February 2007 against a Winnipeg man believed to be in his 30s. The order was to have expired in February 2010, however, Catherine applied in the summer of 2007 to have the protection order varied or set aside.

The order stated the man could not follow, contact or communicate with her, and had to stay more than 100 metres from where she lived.

Ed Gastador said the protection order was filed because his daughter told him she was "scared" of a man who is related to her through her mother.

Police said Wednesday the cause of death had not been confirmed and autopsy results are pending.

After losing a job at another law firm last fall, Catherine began working at Fillmore Riley this spring as a legal assistant.

Ed Gastador said he expressed concerns about her being alone in her condo and the demands of school and work.

"I was complaining about (her being) too busy," he said. "And she answered me, 'Dad, I am still young.'"

Charlotte Jorek, a resident of the Rothesay, said Catherine was ecstatic because of her new job.

"She was so happy," she said. "It's really, really sad. I just thought she was a very nice girl."

A staff member at Fillmore Riley had called the Gastadors to say their daughter hadn't arrived for work. Ed said after calling his daughter repeatedly, he became worried she might have fallen ill and went to check on her.

"I didn't expect anything wrong," he said.

After opening the door and calling out for his daughter, he found her lying face down. Panicking, he tried to revive her, rolling her over. There was blood beside her mouth.

"I didn't know she was already dead," said Ed Gastador, adding the couple is devastated they will never see their child again.

Wolsely woman stabbed, says father

WINNIPEG - The father of a slain Winnipeg woman said his daughter wanted to live alone and further her academic studies while she worked.

Police found the body of 23-year-old Catherine Gastador in a suite at 828 Preston Avenue just after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Her father, Ed Gastador, said Wednesday she died from a stab wound to the back. 

Gastador said he last saw his daughter at a family party in March. He described her as a "very ambitious lady."

Catherine Gastador reportedly lived on the fourth floor of the condominium building, which is known as the Rothesay.  Her father said she lived alone.  

Neighbours said Gastador had lived in the building for about three years and was often seen walking a small, white dog.  She was also frequently seen with a male friend in the building, a neighbour said.

Gastador's profile on the social-networking site Facebook indicates a local law firm was her employer, although a post from a friend in mid-March congratulated her on her new job.  A company spokesperson for Fillmore Riley, a local law firm, said Gastador worked there.

A lone police cruiser was parked outside the property Wednesday morning. Police said they are interviewing a number of witnesses in connection with the case.

No arrests have been announced by police. The homicide unit is investigating.

Paramedics defend dad's walk to ambulance

Paramedics defend dad's walk to ambulance

In spite of criticism from the family of the city’s second murder victim of the year, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service brass say the call was handled properly.
Family members of Garth Isfeld, 44, who was struck with a beer bottle early Saturday morning outside his North Kildonan home and died later in hospital, told media Sunday they were not pleased paramedics did not drive right up to his home and questioned why Isfeld walked to the attending ambulance.
Christian Schmidt, assistant chief of operations for Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, said departmental policies were followed.
“It would appear the call was handled appropriately,” Schmidt said. “It would appear that, in the review of the patient care record, the care was appropriate.”
Stuart said paramedics briefly parked several blocks from the Stuart Avenue home until police secured the potentially hostile scene, as is department procedure, and then drove as near as possible to the home.
He said numerous police and fire department vehicles were blocking the ambulance’s way to Isfeld’s home.
Despite successfully having several emergency vehicles moved, Schmidt said the ambulance could only get to the intersection of Stuart and Pentland Street, several houses down the street from Isfeld’s.
Schmidt said the initial call came in at 12:30 a.m. and that paramedics arrived at Pentland and Stuart 15 minutes later, when a police officer walked Isfeld to the ambulance.
The assistant chief said paramedics completed a full-body survey on Isfeld in the ambulance, as is standard procedure, to look for potentially life-threatening injuries and assess vital signs. Isfeld was transported to hospital at 1:10 a.m. in stable condition.
He died in hospital later Saturday. Isfeld’s family had been critical of paramedics, questioning why he wasn’t taken to ambulance on a stretcher and why he wasn’t immediately transported to hospital once inside the ambulance.
Darren James Hall, 23, of Winnipeg was arrested later Saturday and has been charged with manslaughter in Isfeld’s death.
Schmidt said further review of the incident will be undertaken with department officials.

As I reading this article, I really couldn't find any noticeable biases. The author presented the facts and opinions of others but did not seem biased towards either side of the argument. Well written!
I feel that the paramedics did follow procedure in this case because it was initially reported that a gun was involved and they followed standard procedure.

Ambulance waited for police

He was hit on the head with a beer bottle, walked to an ambulance, then later died in hospital.

Garth Isfeld's family says they are unhappy with how he was treated, but a top Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) official said employees handled the case correctly.

WFPS assistant Chief of Operations Christian Schmidt said Monday an ambulance crew had to sit about four blocks from the house where the man awaited help because a 911 call indicated gunshots had been fired. In potentially dangerous situations, paramedics and fire officials must wait nearby until police ensure the scene is safe, he said.

He said paramedics did the right thing by not entering a potentially dangerous situation without police clearance.

"Our staff are not police officers. They do not carry equipment with them for self-defence," he said.

Isfeld, 44, died in hospital on the weekend after he got into a fight with a party crasher at a Stuart Avenue birthday party, witnesses said. Emergency personnel were near Stuart Avenue within 10 minutes of the call, Schmidt said.

Once police gave the all-clear, about five minutes after the ambulance arrived, the route was blocked by a police car and fire department vehicle which had to be moved. When the ambulance reached Pentland Street at Stuart Avenue -- about 30 metres away from the house -- a police officer and Isfeld walked to the ambulance.

Family members of Isfeld said they thought it was wrong their father had to walk to the paramedics. Isfeld's daughter said there were eight to 10 police vehicles near the Stuart Avenue home and the ambulance could have come closer to meet him.

"They shouldn't have been that far... there was room. There was obviously room," said Stephanie Krasnesky, 18.

Relatives also said paramedics should have used a stretcher to carry Isfeld to the ambulance, and medical personnel did not rush him to hospital fast enough.

Schmidt said paramedics arrived at hospital at about 1:10 a.m., about 40 minutes after the 911 call and 25 minutes after paramedics initially encountered Isfeld.

Police arrested and charged 23-year-old Darren James Hall with manslaughter. Isfeld is the second homicide victim of the year in the city.

Police did not comment on the incident Monday on their handling of the incident.