A security guard was stabbed Tuesday evening at a Manitoba Housing complex located next to Central Park in downtown Winnipeg.

Winnipeg Police Service patrol officers found the 30-year-old guard with upper body injuries around 7:45 p.m. in a common area of ​​the building on Edmonton Street, police said Friday.

THE Free press confirmed the stabbing occurred at 420-424 Edmonton Street, a 16-story social housing building located on the corner of Sargent Avenue.

The victim was taken to hospital in stable condition.

Police said investigators learned the victim and a woman he did not know got into an argument that escalated and the woman pulled out a knife and attacked him before running away.

Police spokesperson Const. Pat Saydak said the argument was a personal dispute, not related to a security issue at the resort. However, he said, such violence against a guard is concerning.

“We want people to be safe, no matter what profession they are in,” Saydak said.

A man living in the public housing complex with his 79-year-old mother, who has lived there for almost 30 years, said he had not heard of the stabbing but had not not surprised to learn that there had been an attack.

“This building has been quite dangerous for a while now,” said the 51-year-old, who asked that his name be withheld for safety reasons.

“I tried to find a place with my mother, to get her out of here.”

He said the building’s stairwells are particularly dangerous and non-tenants often hang out in and out of the complex.

Building security guards stay in their cubicles at the door most of the time, he said.

“Even they are afraid,” he said.

Housing Minister Bernadette Smith said her heart goes out to the victim “who was injured while working to keep Manitoba Housing tenants safe.”

“We support the ongoing police investigation and our government is working to establish additional permanent security guards for three Manitoba Housing buildings in Central Park, including 420-424 Edmonton,” Smith said in a prepared statement Friday .

“We continue to strengthen security measures at Manitoba Housing properties by enhancing security, including floor-by-floor security cameras and card access systems, as well as incorporating comprehensive supports for tenants .

It was unclear Friday whether the guard was hired by a private company or a Manitoba Housing security guard. Provincial spokespeople were unable to answer questions about security issues at Manitoba Housing.

Saydak said investigators don’t yet know if the suspect was a tenant in the building. No one was arrested.

Major Crimes detectives have since taken over the investigation and asked anyone with information to call their office at 204-986-6219 or Crime Stoppers, anonymously, at 204-786-8477.

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Erik Pindera
Journalist

Erik Pindera is a journalist at Free pressfocusing primarily on crime and justice. The born and raised Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic and wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ontario. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free press in 2020. Learn more about Erik.

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