14 years old Indigenous girl fatally stabbed to death, Winnipeg police seek for male suspect

WINNIPEG Stabbing – In memory of the 14-year-old Indigenous girl who tragically lost her life last week to a stabbing, a vigil was observed on Monday evening. On Friday afternoon, members of the community and others grieving the loss of a young person who had been stabbed to death congregated in the downtown area. Tragically, my heart breaks every time I learn of the loss of another Indigenous lady, girl, two-spirit person, or person.

According to Heidi Spence, director of the MKO MMIWG Liaison Unit, “it happens too frequently, it’s happening too much.” Spence went on to say that it is particularly difficult to receive the news considering the girl’s age. She expressed her solidarity with everyone who knew the girl at the vigil.Chief Danny Smyth, speaking at a press conference on Monday afternoon, revealed that three individuals are wanted by detectives. “We are currently looking for a male suspect and two other young female witnesses that the victim was with before the attack,” Smyth added. The assault, he said, was totally unexpected. “One of the young people she was with suddenly turned on her and stabbed her,” Smyth said.

Because it is illegal to identify a juvenile offender or victim under the Juvenile Criminal Justice Act, the girl’s identity will remain unknown. However, it was pointed out that she was a Winnipeg resident and had been reported missing multiple times. The girl allegedly knew the assailant, according to investigators. According to Smyth, the girl was given a chest seal by the responding cops before the ambulance came on Friday. Despite emergency surgery, she succumbed to her injuries and was sent to the hospital. Before cops arrived, three individuals reportedly fled the site. The absence of resources to address adolescent violence and crime is highlighted by the blatant stabbing that occurred during the day, according to experts.

University of Manitoba criminology and sociology professor Melanie Murchison argued that, in order to make any headway or eliminate this level of violence, preventative efforts must be intensified. Community advocates are proposing a number of preventative measures, one of which is the allocation of funds to recreational programs. The kids will participate if given the opportunity. According to Sel Burrows, an advocate for crime prevention, if this does not happen, children may be seen across downtown in the afternoon armed with knives rather than attending school.

According to Kent Dueck, founder and executive director of Inner City Youth Alive, there are not enough places to help the youth. “At the very time that we’re seeing an increase in crime, we’re reducing the space where people, young people who are caught up in violence, can be contained and cared for,” Dueck said. According to Smyth, the police have beefed up their presence downtown, but experts agree that more action is required. “You can put more boots on the ground, but that money is going to be much more better spent investing in our youth and investing in resources that can support them going forward,” Murchison stated.