Gun at Winnipeg police-involved shooting scene was loaded

A gun that was found at the scene of a fatal shooting involving police near Winnipeg was loaded and was more powerful than a police firearm, CBC News has learned.

As well, the semi-automatic pistol was modified to firemore rapidly and had a scope attached to it for a more accurate aim, says Dave Brown, a professional firearms trainer in Winnipeg.

"It's chambered for a .45-calibre cartridge, which is quite a powerful cartridge and probably more powerful than the firearms that the Winnipeg police are using," Brown told CBC News on Tuesday.

"With the electronic sight, it's also something that could be shot not only rapidly but also very accurately."

The gun was found at the scene of Sunday night's incident north of the city, near the intersection of Highway 59 and Kirkness Road.

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A man died in the shooting. Family members identified him as Haki Sefa, a 44-year-old plumber and father of four who they say was suffering from depression in the lead-up to the incident.

The man's family had called police to report concerns about his well-being hours before the shooting took place, according to the Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba, which reviews all serious incidents involving police.

Court documents obtained by CBC News indicate that Sefa had previous contact with police. In 2009, his now ex-wife, Lisa Sefa, alleged that her husband owned a gun and silencer and she had seen him point itatsomeone.

Who owned the gun that was found at the scene of Sunday's shooting has not been confirmed, but the IIU saysit did not belong to a police officer.

On Tuesday, IIU director Zane Tessler told CBC News that the gun found at the scene was loaded with ammunition, but he could not say if it had been fired.

'Very expensive' firearm, saysexpert

Brown was among three firearms experts CBC News contacted on Tuesday regarding the gun. All three said the pistol had been modified to fire rounds more quickly, and it had a scope added on for more accurate aim.

"Somebody's driving around in a vehicle with a weapon like that and the officers, first of all, have to respond with overwhelming force. They have no choice whatsoever," he said.

Studying images of the gun at the shooting scene, Brown described it as a "very expensive competition firearm."

"Probably you're looking at somewhere between $2,000 to $3,000 built up the way it is right there," he said.

"This is not something that somebody's going to have stashed in a closet somewhere; this is something very unusual."

To illustrate the difference in size, Brown held up a standard nine-millimetre Luger ammunition cartridge which is slightly smaller than what's used by Winnipeg police then held a .45-calibrecartridgenext to it.

"You can basically see, based on simply the size difference, that it is a very powerful firearm," he said.

Investigators have yet to determine if Sefa was a registered firearm owner.

They must also confirm if Sefa was suffering from depression and if he had left behind suicide notes prior to the incident two things that family members had said on Monday.