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A serial killer may be targeting homeless people in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is the warning the Winnipeg Police Service issued Saturday (April 25) after the bodies of two men, both brutally murdered, were found only metres apart in the downtown Winnipeg neighbourhood of Portage-Ellice.

location of the murders in the Portage-Ellice neighbourhood."> The location of the murders in the Portage-Ellice neighbourhood.

Just after midnight, at approximately 12:45 a.m. Saturday morning, the body of an older homeless man was found in an alley at the rear of 329 Hargrave Street.

Over 17 hours later, at 6:30 p.m., a private security guard found the body of a younger man, just a few metres from site of the first body, in an area under construction behind the offices of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network at 333 Portage Avenue. Media reports describe this victim as “vulnerable” but not homeless.

“Investigators believe that the two incidents are related and that one suspect is responsible for both,” stated the Winnipeg Police Service in a media release issued on Saturday.

The Winnipeg police also released four surveillance camera images of a man (shown at top) wearing a black sweater and blue jeans and carrying a messenger-style shoulder bag who they said was of interest to investigators and they asked the media and public for assistance in identifying him.

The release further cautioned those in Winnipeg’s homeless community or that frequent the streets to use caution, avoid secluded areas and, if at all possible, walk with others.