A man accused of throwing a heavy metal object at two Winnipeg police officers was once convicted of manslaughter in a robbery that turned fatal.
Waylon Joseph Paul, 44, remained at large Wednesday, charged with two counts each of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and breaching his release order.
Police say he is a “high-risk offender” who is considered dangerous.
Paul has a criminal record dating to 2001 that includes a conviction for a 2004 manslaughter that netted him nearly 10 years in a federal prison and a lifetime ban from possessing weapons.
He and his brother, in their 20s at the time, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in June 2005 after the Crown agreed to stay second-degree murder charges.
The brothers, intoxicated on alcohol and prescription pills, hatched a plan to rob Ernest Anderson, 58, a fellow tenant of a Boyd Avenue rooming house in April 2004. Instead, they savagely beat him and lit four fires to try to cover up the attack, court was told.
Anderson, who was pulled from his suite by firefighters, died in hospital of blunt trauma to the head and body, court heard.
Paul’s record includes assault, theft and drug possession.
Paul is currently before the court on a raft of charges, including robbery in Winnipeg, two counts of uttering threats in Ashern and a slew of court order breaches.
He was granted release pending further court proceedings at an uncontested bail hearing on May 3 in Winnipeg.
On July 18, the officers were sitting in a marked police cruiser as they spoke to people in a parking lot on the 300 block of Sherbrook Street shortly before 6 p.m. A man walked up and threw the object at them, leaving them with minor injuries, police said.
Police spokesman Const. Claude Chancy would not specify what type of object was thrown, but said Wednesday it was not an item the suspect had picked up off the street like a piece of pipe.
Police have asked for anyone with information about Paul’s whereabouts or video of the assault to contact the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219, or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or online.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera
Reporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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