CITY'S WAVE OF VIOLENCE DISTURBS POLICE

Two Slayings, Shootings In One Day

A flare-up of violence in Winnipeg continued yesterday with the 29th
and 30th homicides of the year and two drive-by shootings -- one in
which a 15-year-old boy was shot in his stomach.

The number of killings, including eight homicides this month, ties a
record set in 1987 and puts the city on course for again having the
highest number of homicides per capita this year in Canada.

Police say the rise in violence can be partly tied to gangs and the
drug trade and by extension, society's increased tolerance of drug
use.

"The level of violence we've seen is something extraordinary in our
city and it's very disturbing," police Chief Jack Ewatski said
yesterday. "I don't know if we're seeing a spike or it's a matter of
circumstances and coincidence.

"What's certainly very clear is that these are not random acts of
violence. They involve people for the most part who are known to one
another. Lifestyle also plays a large part."

The violence overnight included: * Midnight Tuesday -- Police were
called to Place Promenade at 410 Webb Pl. after a security guard found
a man in bushes near an underground parking entrance. He was stabbed
in his heart.

A resident said a woman was coming into the block when a man ran past
her screaming hysterically.

She reported it to a security guard and a second guard found the
victim in the bushes.

"He held the man in his arms as he died," she said. "The victim
grabbed onto his arms and his eyes rolled back into his head. There
was nothing the guard could do."

The guard and a spokesperson for OBO Security were
unavailable.

Police have not released the victim's name. Police said they're
continuing to investigate and had no suspects. No information was
released on whether the stabbing was connected to the nearby Gordon
Downtowner Motor Hotel or an area known as "The Circle" outside Place
Promenade where area youth gather.

"It's funny none of them are out there today," the resident
said.

* 3 a.m. -- A 15-year-old boy was shot in his stomach outside a
rundown house at 456 Salter St. near St. John's High School. Police
said two vehicles stopped outside the house and someone in one of the
vehicles fired shots from a small-calibre rifle.

"There's always teenagers hanging around," a resident said. "I heard
several gunshots. Someone banged on my door to let him in, but all the
noise gave me the feeling not to open the door so I didn't."

Forensic investigators recovered at least one bullet from the porch
door, she said.

The youth was taken to hospital by family members. He had emergency
surgery and is in stable condition.

* 10:40 a.m. -- The 39-year-old driver of an older Toyota Corolla
escaped injury after his window was blasted out by gunfire on
Henderson Highway.

A vehicle with two occupants pulled alongside the southbound Toyota,
and someone fired several shots, leaving a bullet hole near the
sideview mirror and shattering the window. The shooting happened a few
hundred metres south of the north Perimeter Highway overpass in the RM
of East St. Paul.

East St. Paul police are investigating and no arrests had been made
yesterday.

* 11 a.m. -- Police and paramedics were called to a duplex at 59 Kate
St. and found a man with a serious head injury. He was rushed to
Health Sciences Centre, but pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

Const. Bob Johnson said police believe the victim was arguing with his
brother and the argument escalated to a violent fight. The brother was
taken into custody to be interviewed.

Ronald Miniano, whose elderly parents live in the second-floor suite,
and his girlfriend, Mary-Lynne Melo, said people in the main floor
suite had been drinking.

"They were yelling and drinking this morning and we didn't know if
they were having fun or fighting," Melo said.

* 2:15 p.m. -- Police surrounded a house in the Maples yesterday
afternoon after they were told Jason Coutu, 20, and his brother Keith
Coutu, 26, were hiding inside. They are wanted for the shooting death
of David Lagimodiere, 20, last Friday at a crack house at 575 Flora
Ave.

After a five-hour siege, police entered the house but it was
empty.

Justice Minister Gord Mackintosh said the killings and gun violence --
most shootings are tied to the drug trade -- can be traced to complex
problems that can't be fixed immediately. "All Manitobans are
searching for answers and solutions and yet we all know if someone
comes along with a one-line answer, they're not giving us the straight
goods.

"Unfortunately, there are deep-seated social and economic situations
at play."

Ewatski said the spate of killing and gun violence is straining police
resources.

"It has put a tremendous amount of pressure on us to deal with these
violent situations which are often very complex, and to deal with
everything else that's happening in the city," Ewatski said. "People
still call us."

Tory justice critic Gerald Hawranik urged Mackintosh to increase the
number of police officers on the streets to deal with a recent spike
in gang activity.

"The police are crying out for more resources," he said. "How many
more Manitobans must die before he acts?"

There have been 10 killings involving firearms, of which four are
directly tied to the drug trade.

Loren Schinkel, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, said
"the gradual erosion of society" and increased drug use encourages
gangs and organized crime to sell those drugs.

"The public is the big loser here," he said. "I don't think it's an
honour for the citizens of Winnipeg that their city will be dubbed the
murder capital of Canada." Ewatski also said in an interview that of
the 30 homicides this year, 90 per cent of accused have had prior
contact with police and 50 per cent of victims have had prior contact.

"We have individuals we deal with on an ongoing basis," he
said.

Ewatski and Mackintosh also said homicide is one of the most difficult
crimes to predict and prevent, as it is often committed on the spur of
the moment, without much thought.

Mackintosh also said law enforcement is aggressively going after
organized crime -- 35 people connected to the Hells Angels were
arrested last Friday in a series of police raids -- in an effort to
reduce gang-related crime.