Some residents in the Exchange District woke up Sunday morning to find blood in the streets.
A 20-year-old man was rushed to hospital in critical condition early Sunday morning after a stabbing in the area, police said.
Just before 2:00 a.m. officers were sent to the 200 block of Bannatyne Avenue after reports that two men had been assaulted. Once on the scene, they found a 20-year-old man had been stabbed repeatedly in the upper body.
"There was a fairly large group outside the club. It was near closing. We're not exactly sure of the nature of the assault," said Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver.
Police said two men were kicked out of the Republic Nightclub shortly before 2:00 a.m. Soon after the 20-year-old man was stabbed.
The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He has since been upgraded to stable but guarded condition.
A 24-year-old man, who police say was a friend of the victim, was also injured. He was treated for a cut to his head on the scene.
Deborah Sterling, a condo-owner nearby, said the incident was deeply sad, but it's nothing new.
"There was a bullet that went directly into the Fairchild. I could go on and on. There's brawls on a continuous basis," said Sterling.
CTV tried to contact the owners of Republic Nightclub Sunday, but they were not available for comment.
Police officials say there is no indication to suggest that the stabbing was gang related, and they said officers don't attend to any more calls in the area compared to others.
"I'm not sure if this one requires any more police presence than any others. I think it's just random events," said Carver.
But Sterling said she is concerned something worse may happen.
"This sounds really callous and horrible, but it's the truth. It's the running sick joke: we're waiting for someone to die," Sterling said.
Police haven't made any arrests in the case and said the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Winnipeg police 986-6668 or Crime Stoppers at 786-8477.
