Man sustains ‘life-altering injuries’ after allegedly being shot during meetup to sell item: WPS

Winnipeg police say a man sustained life-altering injuries after he was allegedly robbed and shot during a meeting to sell an item on Saturday afternoon.

The Winnipeg Police Service says the man in his 30s was taken to hospital in critical condition and has since been upgraded to stable.

Authorities say it happened around 2 p.m. on Maryland Street.

They say the man agreed to meet the suspect to sell an expensive electronic item after connecting on an online sales platform. And the meeting quickly turned violent.

The suspect is described as tall and with braided hair. He was wearing all black clothing during the meetup. He is considered armed and dangerous.

“He’s not arrested yet and I don’t want anyone else to sell an item to him and get hurt,” said WPS Const. Dani McKinnon. “And to be aware because online platforms have become such a part of our daily life to make some extra cash, we have all done it,”

Anyone with information is asked to call 204-986-6219 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers 204-786-TIPS.

A resident who has lived in the neighbourhood for about five years says he was coming home from the airport Saturday when he saw police tape and a forensic truck across the street.

While he says the whole incident has him concerned, he still feels the neighbourhood is safe, and wants it to become even more safe for those who want to live there.

“I love the neighbourhood, the culture, but the scene here, at times I feel unsafe,” Jonathan Green told CityNews. “There has been drug dealers, arson, I’ve seen the SWAT team here multiple times. It does concern me”

Winnipeg police are urging people to use safe “buy and sell” zones at police stations in the city to conduct online sales transactions.

–With files from Mitchell Ringos