Man points gun at off-duty police officer, pulls trigger, but weapon fails: police union

A Winnipeg police officer had a close call Sunday when a man pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger but the weapon failed to fire, the Winnipeg Police Association says.

The officer had just finished a shift and was walking to his car in the early morning hours when he was confronted by the man, says a news release sent out by the police union, which is highlighting the incident in a push for secure parking for police.

"The individual, or suspect produced a handgun [and] pulled the trigger twice. I would say from the reaction of the individual that it was a surprise that the gun didn't fire," WPA president Moe Sabourin told CBC News.

The Winnipeg Police Service says it did receive a report of an off-duty officer being confronted by a male armed with a gun around 2:40 a.m. in the 100 block of Garry Street.

Struck up conversation

The officer was approached by a male who struck up a conversation, police say. After a brief exchange, the officer got into his personal vehicle.

As the officer began to drive away, police say the officer saw the man pull out a gun and point it at him, but no shots were fired. The officer left the area and called 911.

Officers searched the area but but didn't find anyone.

On Monday, in the early afternoon — after the WPA had reported the incident to media — a man matching the suspect's description was located in the downtown area and taken into custody, where he remains.

Sabourin says the suspect definitely knew he was pointing a gun at a police officer and believes he had the intent to harm or kill him.

'It wasn't ... pointed in the air'

"You don't point a firearm; you don't pull a trigger, unless you have a particular intention. And it wasn't a firearm pointed in the air, it was pointed directly at the member," Sabourin said.

Sabourin said it was his understanding that the man pulled the trigger twice and was expecting shots to be fired.

"I would say from the reaction of the individual that it was a surprise that the gun didn't fire and the male fled the area as well as our officer," said Sabourin.

Officers have been repeatedly targeted while walking to and from their parked vehicles before and after shifts, the union said, including one incident in December 2017 when an officer was stabbed after finding someone breaking into his car.

Sabourin said he wouldn't be surprised if the incident would prompt more officers to take their sidearms home as a safety measure, despite having to secure them at their residences.

"This is about as close a call as you can have, with a potential tragic loss being prevented only because a firearm malfunctioned," said  Sabourin.

"Safe working conditions are a core responsibility for every employer. The City of Winnipeg is not exempt from these responsibilities, and WPA members should not expect to have their safety concerns ignored."

Coun. Kevin Klein, chair of Winnipeg's police board, said without details about exactly what happened, he can't comment on the incident, but he'll look into it.

"The care and well-being of all the officers and our civilian staff is of utmost importance to the board," Klein said.

Crime in the city is on the rise, as is the use of methamphetamine, and all three levels of government need to come up with a plan to tackle the issue, Klein said.

"The time for talking is over. We need to get down to business," he said.

"Our population is growing and the number of officers has decreased over the years. It's looking at the entire picture and not just what makes the headlines."

Secure parking needed: union

The police association wants officers working downtown to have a secure parkade dedicated to police.

"Every job is different, and serving as a member of the WPS has its own challenges. Unfortunately, one of those challenges is that criminal elements will sometimes target our members at moments when they have just completed their shift, solely because they are members of the WPS," Sabourin said in the news release.

"A safe and secure parking solution is needed to address this."

The issue has been raised before, including when an officer was stabbed after finding someone breaking into his car in 2017, and after an attempted robbery of another officer last summer.

"After the previous [stabbing] incident, Mayor [Brian] Bowman committed to reviewing this situation. Now, we have another incident in which a tragedy was avoided by the thinnest of margins," Sabourin said.

Mayor Bowman was not available for an interview Monday but a statement from a spokesperson says he supports a safe and secure workplace for members of Winnipeg's police service, but "understands that the Chief of Police has already administered a number of measures that are available to members to address safety."

"The WPS would be in the best position to address those measures specifically," wrote the spokesperson.