A couple of Canada Day stabbings have ended a week of extreme violence at The Forks, where seven people have been assaulted since Monday.
The victims on Friday were two Ukrainian refugees who had come to The Forks to celebrate Canada Day. One of them, a man, ran into an unknown assailant and tried to apologize but had difficulty speaking English. He was stabbed in the neck, a justice source told Free Press.
The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed that the source’s account was accurate and the attack took place around 10:30 p.m.
Police said two people were injured, but did not provide details of the second victim’s injuries or an update on her health. They did not say if there were any suspects in police custody.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” a spokesman said.
The couple are the latest victims after a week of bloodshed at The Forks.
At around 12.30pm on Wednesday, two men were stabbed and a woman was assaulted outside The Forks Market. Lifeguards transferred the men to the hospital in critical condition and both were subsequently upgraded to a stable condition. The woman received treatment for minor injuries.
The three victims were 20 years old.
Police arrested four youths and two suspicious adults, but have not yet charged.
Another incident involving an attack and attempted robbery of a father and daughter occurred Monday evening in the parking lot next to the market building.
The victims told police that a group of unknown girls approached them and asked for cash before punching and kicking the man in the head. The daughter used her cell phone to call 911 before the mob turned on her, assaulted her, smashed her cell phone and fled.
Police arrested three suspects who will face charges of theft.
The man went to the hospital in stable condition.
This week’s seven victims join a long list of others who have suffered senseless violence because of The Forks.
In May, Kyle James Craik, 27, died after being assaulted inside a Forks parking lot. And in January, another man survived an unprovoked stabbing at noon as he walked out of a market stall.
Violence is a common Canada Day event at the historic site, which has seen numerous attacks during celebrations in recent years, including 2020 when a man was shot in the head.
In anticipation of this year’s Canada Day events, The Forks increased the size of its internal security team and had the support of the WPS and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, a group of voluntary patrol organizations, adding to what was formerly called a “robust, 24/7 security presence on the site.”
“Yesterday, we anticipated a large crowd and had coverage even beyond the normal levels of the day of events,” a spokesman said in an email to Free Press. “Our own team (was) on site and very visible all day.”
The spokesman confirmed Friday’s assault, but could not provide further details, including exactly where the attack took place and whether or not his internal security was involved in the response.
Forks’ team is cooperating with authorities and their thoughts are with the victims, the spokesman said.
“We value the safety of our visitors, staff members and tenants. We will continue to review our security strategies as we receive more information,” they said.
Sydney Elliott and Chase Stoker were sitting on the grass near the Oodena Celebration Circle when they learned of the latest attacks. The couple, both in their 20s, live in Winnipeg and visit The Forks a few times a year.
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They said they had heard of assaults there in the past, but did not realize the level of violence and how often they were occurring, they said.
“It’s terrible, it’s such a beautiful place and … I wouldn’t think anyone would want to do something like that. I guess one thing you take for granted is that it’s safe because the sun is out and there are people around, but it’s not always safe, ”Elliott said.“ If you have to worry about being stabbed, why would you come here? ”
“If I ever come at night, it’s probably something I’d think about now,” Stoker added.
Both agreed with The Forks ’decision to bolster their security force and suggested increasing the amount of lighting at night and possibly installing cameras as a deterrent.
– With files by Erik Pindera
Tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca