By Canadian Press

Critical condition: Winnipeg police investigate attack on three-year-old boy

Nov 1, 2019 | 10:21 AM

WINNIPEG — Police were investigating what they called an unthinkable attack with a weapon Wednesday that left a three-year-old boy in grave condition.

“I can’t imagine the fear and panic that a three-year-old would feel just before something like this would happen,” said Const. Jay Murray of the Winnipeg Police Service.

“It’s going to be very hard for a lot of people to comprehend that something of this magnitude would happen to a child that age.”

Officers were called to a north-end residence early Wednesday after receiving a report that a child had been seriously assaulted. They found the boy with significant upper body injuries. He was taken to hospital in critical condition.

“Words can’t even begin to describe the sadness surrounding this event. It’s an unthinkable event and it has to affect the entire city, not just the involved family,” Murray said.

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He could not provide many details about what happened, but said the assault was not random.

Police had a suspect, but no one was in custody, he added.

The assault came just days after a deadly weekend in Winnipeg.

A 14-year-old girl was killed and an 18-year-old woman was taken to hospital in critical condition after a stabbing at a Halloween party Saturday. A 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman were charged with second-degree murder and attempt to commit murder.

A baby was injured after a man fired a shotgun into a home on Sunday before he fled. Three adults were also wounded but were stable, while the baby’s injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth has said the surge in violence is connected to the city’s methamphetamine crisis and shows a need to increase resources for people dealing with addictions.

There have been seven homicides in the city in three weeks, pushing the number of killings to 36 so far this year — just less than the record of 41 in 2011.

Murray said the amount of violence involving children is upsetting.

“It’s very unusual for one of these incidents to happen, let alone three of them within a close proximity to each other,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2019.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press