A person was killed and the suspect is dead after multiple people were stabbed in Hollow Water First Nation on Thursday, RCMP say.
At least six people were taken to hospital, police said in a news release.Â
Police had warned the public about a heavy police presence in the First Nation, about 160 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, after a “serious incident” happened sometime before 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
Officers are still gathering information about what happened, and they expect to provide an update early Thursday afternoon.Â
A spokesperson for Manitoba Shared Health told CBC News at least eight patients with varying levels of injuries were taken by air and land to the emergency room at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre.Â
STARS helicopters airlifted two people, while six others were being taken to hospital by road, the spokesperson said.
A code orange alert was issued for the hospital shortly after receiving reports of a “mass casualty event” in the First Nation, said the spokesperson for Shared Health, which runs the hospital. A code orange is called when a hospital needs to prepare for a potential sudden influx of patients.
No further details about what happened have been shared at this time, but Mounties had said there is no risk to public safety and they expect to be in the community through the day.
Highway 304 is closed in both directions south Black River First Nation, about 40 km south of Hollow Water, in connection with the incident, RCMP said.
Hollow Water First Nation, also known as Waanibiigaaw or Wanipigow in Ojibwe, is an Anishinaabe community located on the east shore of Lake Winnipeg. The 2021 census by Statistics Canada said about 530 people lived in the First Nation.
