3 youths arrested after fatal stabbing at Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg
Library will not reopen before Dec. 19, city says
A man is dead and three male youths are in custody after a stabbing at the Millennium Library in downtown Winnipeg — one block from the police headquarters.
Officers were called to the library, at Donald Street and Graham Avenue, just after 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The man was rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.
A police spokesperson would not say if the stabbing occurred inside or outside of the library. Inside the front doors to the library, caution tape blocked off part of the atrium before the main entrance.
"Additional information cannot be released at this point of the investigation. However, an update is anticipated in the next day or so," the spokesperson said in an email.
A number of police vehicles could still be seen outside the library at 8 p.m. Sunday, with police tape blocking the main entrance.
A city spokesperson initially said the library would remain closed on Monday and Tuesday, but the city later posted on Twitter that the library would not reopen before Dec. 19.
Jacob and Anna Onosson come to the Millennium Library almost every day, but when they arrived Monday afternoon, they found the front doors locked.
"You see stuff around the area ... it's not a good area to begin with, but I never thought it would get to that point where there's going to be a stabbing in the library," said Jacob.
"It makes me concerned to be at the library now, even to bring our kids here, to even get books and stuff. It's a little bit unnerving," said Anna.
Extra security scrapped in 2020
Due to incidents of violence in the past and concerns of staff and members and the public, the Millennium Library in 2019 beefed up security with airport-style screening and mandatory bag checks at the entrance.
At the time, the library said serious violent incidents and threats had increased by 75 per cent since 2013.
The security ramp-up was met with an immediate backlash, however. A grassroots group called Millennium for All was formed in 2019 in response to the measures, organizing protests and read-ins.
The metal detector and bag checks were scrapped in summer 2020.
We've learned a community member was killed at Millennium library. This is devastating. Everyone deserves safety in the library. We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to those impacted.
—@Millennium4AllMillennium for All posted a response to the stabbing on Twitter early Monday morning.
"We wish to extend our sincerest condolences to those impacted," the post read.
"Winnipeg communities are experiencing layers of crisis.... Libraries and library workers cannot be expected to fill the void where our social safety nets used to be," the group wrote.
"We remain committed to evidence-based strategies for safety that are rooted in inclusion, anti-racism, and harm reduction, and we encourage council to fund them."
CBC News reached out to Millennium for All for comment but did not receive a response.
Josh Brandon, community animator with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, said it's too soon to draw conclusions about security from the incident, but solutions need to address the root causes of violence.
"Housing, mental health, creating safe spaces for everyone. The library needs to be a safe space for workers but it also needs to be accessible for everyone," Brandon said.
Safety improvements coming, mayor says
Mayor Scott Gillingham said in an email statement that the city needs to make safety improvements before reopening the library.
"The administration is reviewing what those options might be and I look forward to their recommendations. They will be consulting with stakeholders from the library's community working group as part of this review," Gillingham said in the statement.
After removing the metal detectors, the city established the community working group and invited participants from organizations and groups who provided public feedback on safety at the library.
The city also partnered with groups like Fearless R2W, Persons Community Solutions, North End Community Renewal Corporation and SEED Winnipeg on a community safety host pilot project.
"Work is underway to identify other libraries that could be used as locations for future safety host training," a city spokesperson said in an email.
The Community Connections space in the lobby of Millennium Library opened in April 2022 to connect individuals with a range of social supports, and act as a bridge to accessing the library's resources.
The city has hired a third community crisis worker to increase support across the library system and work with customers in Community Connections, the spokesperson said.
Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call police at 204-986-6508 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS (8477).
Clarifications
- A previous version of this story said the city was in the process of hiring a third community service worker. In fact, the third worker has been hired.Dec 12, 2022 9:56 PM CT
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With files from Radjaa Abdelsadok and Bartley Kives