On March 14th, 2021 at 10:00 am members of the Morden Police Service received a 911 call to a local church with regards to an agitated male who was possibly carrying a handgun. Members of the Morden Police Service responded to the location and learned from witnesses that a male had entered the premises and was seated near the front of the sanctuary. The witnesses described that the male was yelling, using profanities, and making gestures during the service. The witnesses told police that the male had lifted his sweater, revealing a handgun in his waistband and that there were off-duty Winkler police officers near the suspect. Once officers were in position, they advised the staff to activate the fire alarm to have the church evacuated. As the suspect was exiting the sanctuary, uniformed officers apprehended the suspect. The suspect began to resist and with the assistance of the off-duty police officers was taken into custody without incident. Police located a replica firearm inside the suspect’s waistband.
As a result of this incident, 32-year-old Dustin Warkentin has been charged with the following: Possess weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault with a weapon x 2, Carry a weapon in a public place, carry a concealed weapon, Causing a disturbance, creating a nuisance and Fail to Comply with a Probation order x 2. The accused was remanded into custody to appear in Winnipeg court today.
Respectfully submitted,
Sean Aune, Inspector
Morden Police Service
