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A 30-year-old woman was killed Monday night when she was struck by a Winnipeg police patrol car speeding down a gravel path that serves as the entrance to a homeless encampment in Fort Rouge Park, a witness said.

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Terry Johnsen said the woman, whom he did not know, brought her husband, an old friend, to the camp on the banks of the Assiniboine River at the park on River Avenue to visit him.

“When they drove away, I think they were only halfway up the hill on the road when the police came racing up and ran over the woman. They dragged her for a bit and then she died,” Johnsen said Tuesday as social workers from the Main Street Project visited the accident scene.

Johnsen said police vehicles and social workers are the only people who drive down a gravel road that leads near the camp, and that MSP only passes there during the day. The road is accessed by a one-lane paved road off River Avenue.

“The fire department doesn’t even bring their ambulances here. It’s crazy. When I went up to get the ambulance to come to her, they wouldn’t come until I told them it was a police officer who ran her over. Then they were down here in a second,” Johnsen said.

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WPS said at a news conference Tuesday that officers were returning a person to the camp when they encountered the woman. Police provided medical aid before she was taken to hospital in critical condition, where she died, it said.

Deputy Police Chief Art Stannard explained that the use of the trail in the park and the descent from the hill to the camp was at the discretion of officers.

“You drive a person home to this camp and they felt like they had to drive him down this route,” he said, adding: “Camps, as you know, are on river banks, so they’re hard to get to. So if there’s a route or a path that takes you to that place, they could use it.”

Stannard referred most questions to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), the police watchdog that has taken over the investigation into the fatal crash, and said he understands this could cause some frustration.

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“I know this is a very heartbreaking, emotional and difficult time for the family. They are looking for answers. They want to know what happened.”

Stannard said he has spoken to both members involved in the incident and “they are completely devastated.” They will go through a crisis response phase that includes a few days’ leave and visits with the staff psychologist, he said.

“The funeral service is heartbreaking for the family, and it is heartbreaking for their friends, the community and the camp. We want them to know they have our thoughts and condolences.”

The IIU asks anyone with information or video footage that may be useful to the investigation to contact them toll-free at 1-844-667-6060.

[email protected]

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