Winnipeg, Manitoba
19-year old was attacked at work
Teodoro Alcuitas
A 19-year-old worker beer parlour worker died from injuries he suffered at work on Tuesday, February 15, the second Filipino teen murdered in three years in Winnipeg.
This is the seventh murder of the year for Winnipeg. Last year, it was two murders at this time.
John Floyd Barrion was found seriously injured at a hotel beer vendor early Tuesday morning in the 1400 block of Notre Dame Ave. At around 3:10 a.m., emergency services were called, and Barrion was taken to hospital in unstable condition, where he died from his injuries.
He was working alone on his graveyard shift, nit far from his home, according to reports.
“Nakakalungkot,” Leila Castro posted in her Facebook page after the murder. Castro is the founder of 204 Neighbourhood Watch, which is providing support to the family including psychological first aid.
“Another blow on our Filipino community here in Winnipeg. A 19 year old boy died from injuries from a hold up incident at a store at Notre Dame. His name is John Lloyd Barrion and he was working in that store. It was his 4th month employed, and he just completed his training.”
Barrion was remembered as a loving & caring person by friends who shared their condolences on social media.
Gabrielle Abad, daughter of Winnipeg singer-songwriter Levy Abad, Jr. who went to school with Barrion, sent this message to Philippine CanadianNews. Com.
“I am deeply heartbroken even if I don’t know him and the family personally. John Lloyd is a hardworking and responsible young man who works and pays taxes, and I heard he gives all his earnings to his parents to help them. Based on how he was described by his co worker who is like an Ate to him, John Lloyd is Totoy na Totoy, napakabait, very talented in singing. He is the son, the younger brother and the older brother we all wish we have. John Lloyd does not do drugs, he is not part of a gang. He chose to work in a place that is one block away from his house thinking it is safer for him.
But then he died in a brutal way, in a place that is supposed to be a place of safety.
Not so long ago, our community lost a child from a fatal home invasion. That was 3 years ago, in his own house, supposed to be a place of safety, he was also brutally killed. When criminals entered his house, the child was in front of his school books, he was studying to secure a bright future for himself, not knowing that minutes after that his life would be over.”
“This Saturday at 3pm we will be holding a vigil for John Lloyd. We will release an announcement about this. We invite all of you to please join us. Damayan po natin ang pamilya nya.
Let us continue praying for and looking after each other.”
Castro told The Winnipeg Sun that “based on the footage that was seen, there were people who entered the vicinity. The people went to his place of work and robbed him. In the footage, he was seen giving his phone and money. The autopsy is still ongoing and there are no details yet on exactly how he was injured.”
According to Statistics Canada, Winnipeg was No. 1 on the police-reported violent crime severity index for 2020. Thunder Bay was in second place followed by Regina, Saskatoon, and Sudbury. Barrie, Ont., scored lowest on the index.
Winnipeg experienced a record 44 homicides in 2019, 42 homicides in 2020, and 43 in 2021.
Jaime Adao, Jr., 17,died-after a home invasion in 2019. He was about to graduate from high school and hoped to become a chef. (Submitted by Roxanne Roy.)
Adao’s killers were convicted and sentence to life imprisonment and an accomplice to five years after pleading guilty.
SAD, SO SAD.
Sad, to sad, i hope not any case could happen again.