Windsor police Chief Al Frederick says one man has been charged with possession of a weapon after a man was stabbed to death in a downtown fight early Saturday morning.
Gautham (Kevin) Kugathasan, a 19-year-old University of Windsor student from Scarbourough, died after an altercation between two groups of men near Pelissier Street and University Avenue around 2 a.m.
Police say the confrontation continued for a block and resulted in multiple stabbings and several men were hurt. Frederick says the event was "more violent, had a greater number of combatants and weapons" than anything he can remember in 29 years.
“There were officers on scene while some of the events were unfolding,” says Frederick. “This was a very dynamic, chaotic scene, multiple locations where serious assaults occurred. Officers were dealing with victims while other assaults were occurring, extremely chaotic.”
Ali Mahmoud Ahmed, 30, was charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace. He's been released from custody.
Frederick says the event does not appear to be random. The majority of members of each group resided in Windsor, other than the victim, and almost all were known to police.
“There were no independent people involved other than the two groups,” says Frederick. “This is much more violent than typical calls. There were 17 calls happening at that time, nine in downtown, none of them violent.”
Officers say there has been little cooperation with police from both groups regarding the incident. Investigators are watching video trying to determine who was involved and what exactly happened.
Police are still asking the public to call if they have any information related to the investigation. People can contact the major crime branch at 519-255-6700 ext. 4390 or 4830, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.catchcrooks.com.
