For the second time in less than a week, a vigil is being held in Winnipeg for a female Indigenous homicide victim with ties to Northern Manitoba.
A gathering is being held May 31 in The Maples area of Winnipeg in memory of Tessa Perry, 31, who died in hospital from injuries sustained in an assault around 10 p.m. May 28.
Perry was unconscious when Winnipeg police responded to an assault call and they administered first aid while waiting for an ambulance, which transported her to hospital in critical condition.
Justin Alfred Robinson, 29, is charged with second-degree murder and failure to comply with a probation order in connection to Perry’s death and was remanded into custody.
A member of a First Nation in Treaty 6 territory in Alberta, Perry also had family roots in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and lived much of her life in Thompson and had only recently moved to Winnipeg looking for a fresh start, according to her brother Lyle Perry. She was the mother of four young children.
“It is clear Tessa had many friends who loved her. She had a big smile and was loved by all who knew her,” said Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee in a statement of condolences May 31.
Perry is the third Indigenous woman to be killed in Winnipeg in a span of three weeks and the second in less than two weeks with ties to the north.
Doris Trout, 25 who was found dead in Winnipeg on May 19, was a member of God’s Lake First Nation.
“We are seeing an increase in deadly violence impacting First Nations women in the City of Winnipeg,” said Settee. “The homicide of a third young Indigenous woman in a span of three weeks is extremely concerning.”
As a person impacted by gender-based violence, the director of MKO’s missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls liaison unit said Perry’s death hit close to home and urged people to talk abut the issue of domestic violence in order to build awareness of associated behaviours and indicators.
“Increasing knowledge in this area can be potentially life saving for a loved one or friend,” said Heidi Spence. “Everyone has a duty to prevent and take action to end gender-based violence.”
