DRUG SUSPECT SHOT TO DEATH

Body Found on Maryland by Young Girl

A suspect in an alleged cross-border methamphetamine smuggling ring
was shot to death near a burned-out Maryland Street apartment block
early Wednesday morning.

Emmanuel (Manny) Barbagianis, 44, of Winnipeg is the city's 20th
homicide victim of 2006.

Some 12 hours passed before his body was even noticed.

A young girl walking home for lunch from school found the body around
noon Wednesday on a sidewalk between a home and an abandoned
apartment complex in the 400 block of Maryland, just metres from McGee Street.

She told two men working on the exterior of a home nearby, who alerted police.

Barbagianis was among 10 Manitobans charged in September 2004 during
Operation Diversion, a series of simultaneous raids in Winnipeg and
Lac du Bonnet against an alleged smuggling network that police
believe funnelled ephedrine, the main ingredient for the street drug
crystal methamphetamine, into the United States.

At the time, police said Manitoba was a key junction in an alleged
multimillion-dollar pipeline that channelled huge amounts of
ephedrine to drug markets on the West Coast and the U.S.

Barbagianis was charged with conspiracy to produce methamphetamine as
well as weapons-related charges.

Listed then as owning a home on Toshack Road in West St. Paul, he was
out on bail within several days of his arrest and ordered to have no
contact with the others charged.

His defence lawyer, Jay Prober, was stunned by the news Thursday.

"I am totally shocked by this... it was confirmed to me just 30
minutes ago. This is right out of left field," he said. "He never
expressed any concerns about his safety to me at any time.

"I had been talking to him within the last week or so. His next court
appearance was coming up."

In fact, Barbagianis was scheduled to be in court this Thursday to
face the drug charges. Charges stayed

Just two months ago, seven of Barbagianis' co-accused had similar
charges against them stayed by a federal Crown attorney.

Prober said he didn't believe Barbagianis was contemplating any kind
of deal with the prosecution that might have put him in harm's way.

"I don't think that was an issue to be considered," he said. "If I
had any suspicion of that... I wouldn't have acted for him."

Prober said he believed the man had family in Manitoba, although none
could be located for comment on Thursday.

"He was always reasonable to deal with... always showed up for his
appointments on time, always very conscientious about his court
attendance," he said. "He seemed like a nice guy."

Residents living near the scene of the shooting told police they saw
people fleeing from the area shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

Police have no suspects in custody.

"We have been able to narrow down a timeline as part of this
investigation by speaking with area residents and talking with people
in and about that area," said police spokesman Sgt. Kelly Dennison.
"That's our plea right now to the public... persons were seen fleeing
but we don't know if it was one person or five people. Anybody who
happened to see anybody fleeing from that area around midnight or
shortly thereafter please give us a call."

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at
986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (8477).

The 10-year-old girl who made the grim discovery is traumatized, said
her mother.

"She kept saying, 'Is that guy dead? Is he dead?' " the woman said,
through tears. "She thinks somehow this is her fault."

The woman asked that none of her family members be named.

'Too close by'

Late Thursday, the crime scene was still surrounded by yellow police
tape, and cruiser cars were parked on Maryland and McGee to guard the scene.

The woman whose daughter made the grim discovery said she no longer
feels secure in the neighbourhood.

"This is just too close by," she said. "The cops are here right now,
but when they leave I won't feel safe anymore." Several members of
the family heard shots fired shortly after midnight.

"It was a banging noise, like metal against metal," the woman said.
"My son went out to check to see if everything was OK. We went back
inside and locked up the doors.

"Then next day, my baby saw someone lying there."