Victim of hammer attack dies in hospital
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2023 (1038 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The victim of a violent attack with a hammer earlier this week died Wednesday evening at a Winnipeg hospital.
Eric Lepine was airlifted from Brandon hospital to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg after Brandon emergency crews pulled him from a burning house on 15th Street Monday afternoon. Firefighters found Lepine in the house with severe trauma to his head due to multiple hammer strikes.
On Tuesday, police said Lepine was at Health Sciences Centre in a condition last listed as “critical but stable.” However, the next day, Lepine died in hospital. According to a GoFundMe fundraiser page, Lepine passed away at 8:17 p.m. on Wednesday in the Intensive Care Unit at Health Sciences Centre.
The page says the fundraiser has been organized for Lepine to collect money for his family to cover the costs of a funeral and travel expenses.
“He fought with everything he had,” the page reads, adding that Lepine was a father and dedicated his time to harm reduction programs in Brandon.
At the time of publication, the fundraiser, which was posted on Thursday, had raised $775.
On Monday, police were called to a report of a man attacking people with a hammer in the 800 block of 15th Street. Police located the man a short distance away. Around the same time, 911 received a call about a house fire in the same area.
That’s when emergency crews pulled Lepine from the burning home and transported him to hospital.
A second man was also struck in the head with a hammer, but police say he sustained only minor injuries to the top of his head.
Police say the fire in the home was deliberately set using accelerants. A canister of accelerant and the framing hammer used during the assault were recovered by police at the scene.
Ryan Mecas, 32, is currently facing charges of aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and arson with disregard for human life. He is scheduled to next appear in court on Nov. 23.
Police told the Sun that their investigation continues.
The Sun will provide more information as details become available.
» The Brandon Sun
History
Updated on Friday, November 17, 2023 9:00 AM CST: The day that Eric Lepine died has been corrected.