‘Killer on the loose' after Victoria Beach double homicide RCMP believe was targeted
VICTORIA BEACH — A suspect is at large and two people are dead after a shooting on a quiet road at Victoria Beach early Friday.
Investigators were combing the area for clues after a suspect shot and killed a 41-year-old local woman and a 29-year-old Winnipeg man.
Police were contacted about possible gunshots on Hampton Road at about 2 a.m., where they discovered the two bodies.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Police do not believe the killings were random.
'We believe it to be targeted,' RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said in front of the property, which was taped off by police. 'We're trying to put the facts together as to what the reason for it is, but we don't believe this is random.
'We don't want people to panic right now. Is there a killer on the loose? Yes. We're searching for a suspect right now. This isn't random — we're quite certain of that. We don't want people to think that there's a killer going from cottage to cottage and just randomly shooting people. That's not what we believe occurred here.'
Police said a 'person of interest' in a white pickup truck was seen leaving southbound on Highway 59, but were mum on other details.
'As of this investigation, not even 12 hours into it, we have a lot of work in front of us,' Manaigre said. 'It is quite a substantial area for us to cover.'
Manaigre said the two victims were known to police based on past involvement but did not provide details.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre speaks with the media at the scene.
'Nothing extensive,' he said, adding it's why they believe the killings were not random.
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Police said they did not know the connection between the victims or the person of interest.
Officers from the RCMP's major crimes unit, along with Victoria Beach police, were combing the area for clues Friday afternoon.
Hampton Road is located in the northeast end of a peninsula, in the Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach. An area filled with cottages and restricted to vehicle traffic from late June until Labour Day is located to the southwest.
RCMP asked anyone with information about the incident to contact the Powerview detachment at 204-367-8728, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Police at the scene of a double homicide on Hampton Road in Victoria Beach.
scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Police were contacted about possible gunshots on Hampton Road at about 2 a.m.
Scott BilleckReporter
Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade's worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024. Read more about Scott.
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