'You shouldn't spill your family's blood': Woman dies after family party turns violent

One person is dead and another is in critical conditionafter a violent family clash that spilled across a number of Winnipeg streets on Thursday night.

• UPDATE:Woman's death after violent clash on William Avenue wasn't a homicide, police say

Officers were called to a two-storeyrooming house on William Avenue, near GertieStreet, just after 6:30 p.m.

An unconscious woman was found and rushed to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. It is the city's 24th homicide of the year.

A man was also found, suffering fromserious injuries. Hewas given first aid then sentto hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

At one point, about a dozen police vehicles were in the area on Thursday night, including members of thetactical response team and canine unit.

The investigation covered a wide area, extending from the rooming houseall the way to the University of Winnipeg campus and toBalmoralStreet and St.Mary Avenue.

A handful of police vehicles remainin front of the rooming houseon Friday morning and a spokesperson for the police service saidthey will likely bethere for quite some time.

Several people are in custody for questioning but police have not released any information on what exactly happened or how the man and woman were injured.

I knew, as soon as they came in with all the liquor they had, that there was something going to happen.- Robert (Bear)Rodericks

A neighbour, however, told CBC News it was a stabbing.

"It was a pretty big scrap. I don't know what they were scrapping about, but it turned into a very violent scene, where people were getting slammed around and things were getting thrown, things were getting smashed," said Robert (Bear)Rodericks,an anti-gang advocate in the area who lives in the lower level of the rooming house.

"I thought it was just maybe a fight and a stabbing and now, knowing that someone has passed awayI'm in shock."

He said the family on the upper levelhad been partying for a couple of days before things went out of control.

"I knew, as soon as they came in with all the liquor they had, that there was something going to happen," Rodericks said.

After listening to screaming and crashing,Roderickssaid he ran upstairs to intervene and saw blood on the floor.

"I wasn't quick enough to get up there and that kind of bothers me, because I try to help everybody that I can," he said. "But everything already happened. It was just too late."

Roderickssaid he jumped between a man who was yelling andtwo young women who were crying. He took the girls to his suite until police arrived.

"The troubling part about thisis it's family. Family shouldn't be fighting family. Family shouldn't be hating family," he said. "You shouldn't spill your family's blood."

Neighbour describes violent family clash in rooming house

7 years ago

Duration 1:47

One person is dead and another is in critical condition after a violent family clash that spilled across a number of Winnipeg streets on Thursday night.