City police are investigating Thunder Bay’s second homicide of 2013.
Officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service say their officers, along with firefighters and paramedics, responded to a report of a woman with serious injuries just after 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The woman was outside of a Lake Street home.
She was transported to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre where she was pronounced dead.
Police set up a crime scene in the Lake Street area, which included the back alleyway near Manitou Street. Officers also canvassed the area going door-to-door speaking with neighbours who could be potential witnesses.
The police’s forensics unit was also at the scene.
Police spokesman Chris Adams said it’s important to be on scene as early as possible during an investigation, adding that the forensic unit will mostly likely be in the area for most of the day.
“At this point it is a very fresh investigation,” he said.
“There’s a lot of work to be done … I think the citizens have to take some solace in the fact that any of these instances are treated very seriously.”
The victim’s identity is being withheld pending a post mortem examination, which has yet to be scheduled. Adams suspects the post mortem will take place within the next day or two and probably take place in Toronto.
Many neighbours in the area told Tbnewswatch.com that they felt the area was dangerous.
Chris Pedwysocki has lived on Manitou Street for the past year. His house is right beside the alleyway where police were conducting their investigation. Although he didn’t hear anything, he said the area is so dangerous that he bought a Rottweiler and put up a fence.
He said his neighbour had her groceries in her vehicle when she stepped inside her home for a few minutes. When she came back out someone had taken them.
“It’s a pretty bad neighbourhood,” he said.
“I don’t go down the back alleyways because they’re not safe. You can’t up and move because you don’t like the neighbourhood. If it gets to the point where people are stabbing each other then I think it’s something that the city should be doing.”
One neighbour on Lake Street, who didn’t feel safe giving his name, has lived in the area for four years and said the house police were investigating often had parties and people coming and going all the time.
He agreed that the area was dangerous.
“I got three dogs,” he said. “It would be better if the police patrolled more. I can’t leave anything out in the front because it gets stolen.”
Sandra Byzewski has lived at Andras Court for the past 17 years and said the area is getting worse every year.
The area has degraded so much that she said she doesn’t even go out at night anymore.
“It’s hard for me to find a place because I’m on social assistance,” she said. “I would like to move out but there’s nothing I can do for now. I am starting to get afraid.”
Renner, who didn’t give want to give his last name, also lives at Andras Court. He agreed that the area was dangerous but said that crime happens everywhere no matter where you live.
“I love this area,” he said. “No place is safe. Anywhere you live in this world it could be a shitty place.”
The investigation is ongoing.
