Tragedy struck on New Year’s Eve as a young Nigerian student, Afolabi Stephen Opaso, was fatally shot by Winnipeg police in Canada.
Opaso, a 19-year-old student studying Economics at the University of Manitoba, had come to Canada to pursue his education.
The incident occurred when police were called to an apartment suite in response to a call that a man was behaving erratically/strange.
Two officers arrived and discovered three individuals inside the suite.
The Winnipeg Police revealed that one of the individuals was armed with two knives and involved in a confrontation with the officers, resulting in the use of lethal force.
He was rushed to the hospital in a critical state, but succumbed to his injuries.
The two other individuals in the suite were unharmed.
Witnesses stated that he was experiencing a mental health episode.
Hence, the call to 911 was made to seek assistance rather than to report a dangerous situation.
Jean-René-Dominique Kwilu, a Winnipeg lawyer representing Opaso’s family, expressed their shock and trauma over the tragic loss of their beloved son.
They sent Opaso to Canada with hopes for his education, only to receive his lifeless body back home.
The family is demanding answers regarding the handling of the situation by the police and questioning why a mental health call ended in their son’s death.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) is currently investigating the incident.
