Mystery shrouds woman’s injuries
Dalson Chen, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, August 11, 2006
Windsor police are treating a downtown apartment as a crime scene after they had to smash open a patio door to remove a critically injured woman Thursday afternoon.Responding to a call, officers arrived at the north side of the Brighton Apartments building at 350 Elliott St. E., shortly before 1 p.m.
An officer used his retractable baton to shatter the glass in the sliding door of a ground floor unit and police entered the premises.
The female resident was removed from the apartment on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital for emergency treatment.
“We are investigating an injured person that was found in the apartment here,” said Staff Sgt. Gerry Corriveau, who studied the residence along with two other detectives.
Speaking in front of the building, Corriveau said he didn’t know yet how the woman was hurt or the nature of her wounds. “The investigation is in its extremely preliminary stages.”
A hospital representative said the woman, Melissa Wabegijik, is in critical condition and was transferred to the intensive care unit.
A forensics truck arrived at the scene and the entire rear parking lot of the building was blocked off with police tape.
Building resident Wes Surrett, 24, said the person who lives in Apt. 102 is in her mid-30s.
“She always keeps to herself,” said Surrett, who lives across the hall from Wabegijik’s unit.
Surrett’s friend and fellow building resident Alexis Dunphy, 23, said the woman lives alone.
“She’s naturally really quiet,” Dunphy said. “She’s really self-contained.
“Every time I’ve seen her, she’s just walking.”
Dunphy said the woman works in the hospitality industry and has resided at Brighton Apartments for about 10 years.
Tiffany Shuster, who lives on the building’s eighth floor with her mother, stood in the parking lot to watch police officers tape off the scene.
“It’s pretty scary,” said Shuster, 20. “This neighbourhood, you know? It’s not the greatest in Windsor.”
© The Windsor Star 2006
Wait a minute… That’s my neighbourhood…. 🙁
Other than the occasional drug bust, and hooker, it’s not really that bad…
Every two-bit journalist with a crime to cover can get someone to say either of two things…
1. It’s a horrible neighbourhood. I’m not surprised at all.
2. I never thought it would happen here.
I never pay attention to either comment.
Benjamin A. Vazquez, U.E.
Ben> agreed.. you don’t sell papers with statements like “The odds of this happening is pretty much the same as anywhere else”