Man dead after unprovoked stabbing near downtown Winnipeg Thursday

55-year-old died in hospital after being attacked by a male suspect, city police say

A 55-year-old man is dead after what police say was an unprovoked attack near downtown Winnipeg earlier this week.

Officers found a man who was seriously injured while responding to a stabbing on Henry Avenue at 1:18 p.m. on Thursday, city police said in a news release Saturday.

An area of the Hope Alley stretch of Henry Avenue — besides the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority building and across the Salvation Army shelter on Main Street — was blocked off by police tape that afternoon.

Police said Saturday an adult male suspect had approached the victim and "engaged him in an unprovoked altercation."

The suspect assaulted the 55-year-old in the upper body before fleeing, the release said.

The victim, Ronald Alexander Grego Findlay, was transported to hospital in critical condition, where he died from his injuries, police said.

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The homicide unit is investigating. Const. Stephen Spencer said in an email police can't provide any more information — including further details on the nature of the altercation or the suspect — because that probe is still ongoing.

Safety in the area 'an ongoing concern': union

Margaret Schroeder, president of CUPE Local 204 — which represents over 14,000 health-care workers in the province — said Saturday a WRHA worker who was not involved in the incident was detained by police Thursday.

"We had some workers who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you know. They were out for a break and they were questioned," she said, adding that WRHA was investigating the situation.

Schroeder said safety in the area is "always an ongoing concern," with union members feeling vulnerable whenever they enter and exit the WRHA building and its parkade.

"We would like to see there to be security at the door all the time … just so that nobody's there on their own," she said.

The union would like to see some kind of investigation as to what can be done to make the area safer for members and "everybody in general," Schroeder said.

Arturo Chang is a reporter with CBC Manitoba. Before that, he worked for CBC P.E.I. and BNN Bloomberg. You can reach him at arturo.chang@cbc.ca.