Members of the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) Tactical Support Unit shot and killed a man who had taken several people, including a child, hostage in a Furby Street apartment on December 28, 2023.

According to Winnipeg police, officers were called to the apartment block just before 2:00 pm for the report of a 19-year-old female being held hostage by an armed 52-year-old man. The man had barricaded himself inside a suite with the hostage. Officers quickly learned that another female, adult male and a child were also inside the apartment and being held captive.

During the incident, the second female, 33 and 3-year-old child were released and the 23-year-old male being held was able to escape.

Shortly after 5:10 pm members of the Tactical Support Team executed a rescue plan to safely remove the female. During the rescue officers shot and killed the armed captor. The victim was not injured.

Police say that the armed male was known to police

Police say the deceased male was also a person of interest in the December 26, 2023, homicide of 34-year-old Farah Mohamud of Delta, British Columbia. Mohamud’s body was discovered in an apartment in the 100 block of Furby Street. Police say that Mohamud had been reported missing on December 23, 2023.

As the forcible confinement incident was a fatality involving police the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) is mandated to investigate.

A team of IIU investigators were immediately deployed to the scene.

Anyone with information or video footage that can help in the investigation is asked to contact the IIU at 1-844-667-6060.