The deceased has been identified as a 31-year-old male from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation.
There is no further information being released at this time.
On December 15, 2021, at approximately 8:50 am, Manitoba RCMP officers responded to a report of a stabbing located off of Highway 16, in Westbourne, Manitoba.
The preliminary investigation has determined that a male driver, along with a female passenger, picked up a male hitchhiker on Highway 16 in the RM of Westlake-Gladstone. After being picked up, the hitchhiker reportedly attacked the driver without provocation. The driver, who had been stabbed, was able to pull over to the side of the road. The suspect then exited the vehicle and fled on foot.
Numerous officers from Portage la Prairie, Amaranth and Neepawa detachments, along with Police Dog Services, immediately responded to the area.
A short time later, a call was received about a suspicious male attempting to enter into vehicles at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 50. Officers attended and located the male suspect who was observed to be carrying an edged weapon.
There was a confrontation between the suspect and the responding officers. An officer-involved shooting occurred and the suspect was struck.
Officers immediately provided first-aid until local Emergency Medical Services arrived. The suspect, however, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene. No information about the deceased male is being released at this time as positive identification is pending and next of kin notification has yet to be completed.
An edged weapon was recovered from the scene.
The male victim is currently in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has been notified and are taking carriage of the officer-involved shooting investigation. Manitoba RCMP continue to investigate the stabbing incident.