On February 22, 2023, at 12:35 p.m., North District General Patrol officers responded to a residence in the 700 block of Dufferin Avenue for a family trouble call where an adult male had assaulted an adult female relative.
Upon arrival, officers encountered the assailant inside the house in an agitated state. While armed with a knife, the male fled into a different room within the residence and barricaded himself inside.
Members of the Tactical Support Team were deployed and safely evacuated all other occupants, including small children. As the incident had evolved into an armed & barricaded situation, incident command protocol was activated.
Over the following hours, the male broke several windows and armed himself with different weapons, including knives, a crowbar and pieces of glass. The male refused to comply with demands and threw objects at officers. He also threatened to kill and, at one point, charged at officers with a knife before retreating inside.
During the incident, it is believed the male set the house on fire, and the residence became quickly engulfed in flames. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) was subsequently dispatched and staged nearby.
At approximately 5:25 p.m., the male, who had been armed with a knife earlier, opened the front door of the burning residence. He was then observed lying on the floor, yelling for help. Officers saw him without the knife and took the opportunity to pull him to safety from the front doorway. WFPS members subsequently began efforts to extinguish the fire. The male was transported to a hospital in unstable condition but was later upgraded to stable condition and released soon after.
A 31-year-old male of Winnipeg has been charged with:
- Arson with Disregard for Human Life
- Assault
- Possession of a Weapon
- Fail to Comply with Condition of Release Order
He was detained.