Restaurant Patrons Commit 'Rare' Double Homicide

Two men in Canada learned the downside of gunfire Wednesday when they simultaneously shot each other and ended up dead, the CBC reports. Brian Cromastey, 30, and Rodney Albert Kirton, 25—both members of the same local street gang—fired their handguns at a popular late-night eatery at around 1:30am Wednesday. Adding to the melee, an 18-year-old named Braedon Lee Gordon physically attacked Kirton while he was wounded but still breathing and has been charged with assault causing bodily harm, the Winnipeg Sun reports. Plus a female server was hit by a ricochet bullet, treated in hospital, and released with a non-life-threatening injury.

Police say it's a miracle that none of the other dozen-or-so patrons were hurt in Johnny G's when a "significant number, more than eight" rounds were fired in the gunfight. Police Const. Rob Carver adds that it's extremely rare to see a double-homicide gunfight like this: "It looks like it's happened in the States once or twice. But once or twice in the US based on the number of shootings is incredibly rare," he says. "As far as I can tell, it has never happened in Canada." The shootings also highlight a slight spike in violence in Winnipeg restaurants, and the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association's call for a law that would allow police to remove patrons who are known criminals. (More shooting stories.)