Man dies after being stabbed by stranger on Winnipeg bus, police say

A 57-year-old man is dead after he was stabbed by another passenger on a Winnipeg Transit bus Sunday afternoon. 

Raymond Wesley Hill and Justin Gabriel James, 46, both boarded the bus shortly before 3 p.m. on Portage Avenue in downtown Winnipeg, but they weren't together, police said.

Police believe that as the bus was moving, James started a fight with Hill that escalated and Hill was stabbed with a knife. 

The bus stopped and Hill flagged down a passing police car near Colony Street and Ellice Avenue before collapsing. 

The attack appears to have been unprovoked, and the two men didn't know each other, Const. Jay Murray said at a news conference Monday.

Officers provided first aid to Hill.

They boarded the bus and took James into custody. He is now charged with manslaughter. 

Hill was taken to hospital in critical condition but died from his injuries. 

James has a lengthy criminal record, Murray said. 

Random attack 

The stabbing is "extra concerning" because police believe it was random and witnesses said the altercation seemed to come out of nowhere, Murray said.

"It doesn't appear that anything led up to this incident," he said. 

Police are starting to notice more violent incidents like this one, where the suspect and victim don't know each other, such as the case of two men who were attacked by a man with a hammer near the Millennium Library a few weeks ago.

"It's certainly unusual to see violent crime of that nature, but it is occurring," Murray said. 

"It certainly feels anecdotally that that violence is growing."