The closure of a stretch of Notre Dame Avenue near Health Sciences Centre during the afternoon rush hour Tuesday was connected to an “officer-involved incident” on nearby Arlington Street.
The Winnipeg Police Service is holding a news conference at 1 p.m. about the incident, as well as a homicide on Kennedy Street and a carjacking on Smith Street.
Jessica Hatfield, 40, who lives near Beverley Street and Notre Dame, said she was playing video games when she and her roommate heard what sounded like a gunshot ring out at about 5 p.m. Tuesday.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Police at the scene on Notre Dame on Tuesday.
“It was really too close for comfort,” said Hatfield. “Then, a pained scream and sirens.”
Seconds later, she saw police officers arrive, Hatfield said.
She said she saw a person lying on the Notre Dame median at the crosswalk at Tecumseh Street near HSC. The person appeared to have been shot in the chest, she said.
She said paramedics transferred the person into an ambulance on a stretcher at about 5:35 p.m.
Winnipeg police posted on social media at 7:40 p.m. Tuesday that the streets were closed “due to a police incident,” but they have not yet confirmed any details of the incident.
A police spokesperson said Wednesday morning the Notre Dame street closure was connected to an officer-involved incident on the 800 block of Arlington, just west of the closed-off intersection.
“Police were taping off the area and talking to people at (an adjacent) restaurant,” said Hatfield, who has lived in the area about a year. “It’s not unusual to hear sirens, but gunshots that close, it’s not good.”
Notre Dame was closed between Beverley and Home streets for several hours, Hatfield said.
“They didn’t leave until after 9 or 10 p.m., they still had it taped off,” she said. “At one point, there was five regular cruisers, and two black SUV cruisers, unmarked cars.”
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca