Bar Italia Winnipeg Death Leads To Manslaughter Charges
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Always sad when you hear about a life cut short due to something that could have been easily prevented. Earlier this summer, 18 year old Kelly Clay lost his life after being punched at the Nor-Villa Hotel. Just last week another life was lost in a Winnipeg Bar when 33 year old Gary Rent died after getting into an altercation with a bouncer at the popular Bar Italia on Corydon.
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I saw an interview on CTV with Rent’s mother and it really struck home how serious and tragic something like this really is. Although we can only speculate what truly happened to initiate the tragedy, there is no question that something like this is completely preventable.
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Question: Do you think Bar Security should receive increased training? How can tragedies like this be prevented? Does this damage Bar Italia‘s reputation? COMMENT BELOW!! NO SIGN UP REQUIRED!
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A 26-year-old bar employee faces manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a 33-year-old man while the province considers enhanced training for bar staff.
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Police say Gary Rent, 33, died in hospital Thursday morning of injuries suffered during an assault outside Bar Italia at Corydon Avenue and Cockburn Street at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday.
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Case not the first
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Other deaths involving bar staff:
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In 2004, 28-year-old James Ronald Hanson died of axphyxiation following a skirmish with security staff outside The Beach nightclub, at the Pembina Highway Canad Inns. Three bouncers were ultimately cleared of manslaughter charges.
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One month after Hanson’s death, Denis Vandal, brother of City Coun. Dan Vandal, died in an altercation with a bouncer at Silverado’s Cabaret at Canad Inns Garden City. Manslaughter charges against a doorman were ultimately stayed.
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A committee has been working on recommendations that came out of an inquest last year into the death of a man at the St. Regis Hotel in 2006. It found security staff at the province’s liquor-licensed establishments need better training. It recommended changes to the MLCC’s training and licensing guidelines.
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“… Recommendations are going to be made probably to the minister fairly soon,” said Gary Shewchuk, Manitoba Liquor Control Commission manager of inspection services.
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Shewchuk was referring to Gord Mackintosh, the minister in charge of the Liquor Control Act.
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The Act says servers, security staff and managers in the province’s liquor-licensed establishments are required to take a Manitoba Liquor Control Commission training course. The program costs $30 and can be done in a class or online. It focuses on legal responsibilities in sales, practice and procedures involving alcohol, as well as the duty of care to customers.
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The training course for bar staff “should be enhanced as a result of the recommendations,” said Shewchuk, who would not discuss specifics.
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Police say the accused in Rent’s death was a bar employee who turned himself in to police. Nicholas Garrett Somers, 26, faces charges of manslaughter and is being held in custody.
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He works as a bouncer at Bar Italia, the deceased’s mother, Deanna Rent, said.
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Her son’s death was the result of “a bar brawl,” she said.
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“Somebody punched him,” she said. “He fell to the ground with a tremendous force.”
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A man who answered the phone inside Bar Italia Thursday said he couldn’t comment.
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Thursday night, it was business as usual as the popular bar’s patio was packed with customers. Many were saddened and surprised by the incident, but said they won’t shy away from the establishment.
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Unlike security guards, who are required to take at least 40 hours of training, security staff in bars and nightclubs are exempt from the Private Investigators and Security Guards Act.
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“Our belief is that everyone in a licensed premise should have the enhanced training,” especially smaller establishments with less staff, Shewchuk said.
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Rent said her son was a University of Manitoba student taking his master’s degree in animal sciences. She said she’s been flooded with calls from his friends.
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Former girlfriend Fiona Campbell said Rent was a personal trainer and, in the past, had worked as a fitness model and competed in bodybuilding shows.
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Campbell, who lives in Calgary, had expected to see Rent this weekend when he flew to Alberta for a family wedding.
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“He shouldn’t have died,” she said, fighting back tears. “He had so much potential. He would’ve been pretty amazing in whatever he did. He had a lot of drive and motivation.”
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Original Winnipeg Free Press LINK
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it was unrelated.. the norvilla was a sports player who killed the kid.. do sports players need more training.. such an unrelated exaggeration because a bouncer did it.
Wana your comment is outrageous. Nobody is saying that the two deaths were related. Nothing is being exaggerated either. there is no excuse for a bouncer to kill a patron. they are hired to keep patrons safe. what happened at the norvilla is completely different with 2 patrons being involved.
You should check out the bouncer’s facebook page. It’s like he’s the victim or somthing.
Question: what do you think would do more to prevent this kind of stuff – increased BS bouncer “training,” or jailtime for the accused?
This is such a shitty situation all around.
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I wasn’t at Bar I and can’t comment on their specific incident, but the level of training required to defuse a “bar brawl” once it has already started is tremendous. Staff, owners, MLCC, and the police/justice system all need to work together to create safer environments to begin with. Simple things like dress codes, patdowns, banning lists, and CAMERA SYSTEMS can drastically reduce incidents like this. These fairly subtle reminders will stick in a person’s mind throughout the night, and keep them aware that their actions have consequences. Also the first thing this city should do is (drastically) increase punishments for REPEAT offenders. The vast majority of problems are caused by people who have been arrested several times. Again, not relevant to this specific incident, but that’s where changes would need to start. Saying that bar brawls can be solved simply by training bouncers is ridiculous.
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Also most major violent incidents involve some sort of weapon, so its scary to think that these deaths resulted from simple fistfights. Whether you’re an employee or a patron, drunk or sober… rules of the normal civilized society still apply everywhere. Learn something from this story and think twice before escalating simple arguments. Best wishes/condolences to everyone affected.
Really, another bar fight, more rules, more regulations… Soon booze will be off the market.
Personally more training on how to difuse the situation would be excellent.
Second, friends should not let friend get stupid drunk or high to make a decission to fight bouncer.
All of us should take a step back and see if its really worth the fight….
I don’t go to clubs as much due to stupid intoxies crying about how dude touched girlfriend or is trying to get wit it.
Seriously, if yiur girl dresses to the main street nines…. Its bound to happen…. Let it be, she wants the attention
Peace
i like your comment Wana. I know the bouncer, I know what happened. Gary tried to attack another security guard and the bouncer slugged him one to prevent his co worker from getting hurt. Gary hit his head on the floor. Died. Gary was kicked out earlier and he kept trying to get back in. The only similarity between bar I and Norvila incident is that the person that got hit, hit the ground in the worst way and died.
A man died, that really is tragic. However, this website, along with all media coverage of this sad event, all failed to report the story with any accuracy or journalistic integrity. As is the pathetic norm these days, an ‘ambulance chaser’ version prevailed. No discussion of the fact that Mr. Rent went to Bar Italia to ‘have it out’ with his brother in law. Eye witnesses gave statements to police of Mr. Rent’s chaotic behavior, screaming fits, deaththreats, and video survailance confirmed numerous physical attacks by Mr Rent on his brother in law(who had worked a total of 4 shifts at Bar Italia). Local ‘news’ focusedonly on smearing a landmark family operated business, rather than mentioning any of the latter, and more importantly, omitted the fact that Mr Rent, after being ejected for his violent and dangerous behavior, waited untill 2:40 am to continue his vendetta against his brother in law. Again, video survailance provided Wpg Police with evidence of Mr Rent attacking his brother inlaw several times before a friend and co-worker(his 3rd shift) punched(singular) Mr Rent with theintent to stop him from injuring his friend. Sadly, Mr Rent fell backwards and hit his head on the road. Most unfortunately, he died from this injury. We should all be saddened and disturbed that a single punch can cause injuries that can cause death. We should all be saddened and disturbed that the individuals involved were family and friends. Most importantly, we should all be reminded and painfully aware that violence begets violence. Mr Rent didn’t intend on losing his life, his brother in law could not have imagined his family would suffer this loss, and Nicky, the friend, never, ever imagined or, most importantly, never intended the death of Mr Rent. Sadly, he will have to live with the consequences and utter despair and guilt of his role in the death of another.
Finally, we should all be saddened and disturbed by how much senseless violence exists around us.
My sincerest condolences to Mr Rent’s family and friends.
B.D. Winnipeg
What has to be done. Get a group of guys like i did. Go back to the bar and give those low life fucking Crack-Head bouncers some of their own fucking medicine. If the police wont do it. Fuck them to. If i knew the name of this bouncer you can guarantee if it where my family he would be dead. Id stick a pitch-fork right through his face. Why is it no one went back or protested this bar owner.In my case it was the owner who wanted to see a little action and ordered his bouncer to beat my 19 year old Nephew. 5 of them jumped him where there was no cameras hmm. I wonder if there was any cameras present at this Low life greasy whoop bar.
D.P Says; What a goof you are when you have a patron who is unruly or disruptive. You call the cops.If he comes back. Where is it you have to punch a guy in the face to subdue him. Wouldn’t wrapping your arms around him putting him down till help arrived be a better solution. Do not think these bouncers aren’t out to make a reputation for them selves, because they most certainly do. Has anyone tested the bouncer to see if he was under the influence of cocaine or other drugs. Probably not. Most bouncers are also Drug Dealers. So don’t go praising a murderer.
I think the comments from William Leonard should be removed. I am shocked by these disturbing statements – sticking a pitchfork through his face – and am surprised that this website does not check and remove these disgusting comments. You are a vial person. Anger breeds hostility and stupidity. You are a horrible person for having those thoughts and making those statements publicly on here.
You know nothing of Somers and you should never ever make assumptions. It makes you look like a loser. But then again, what can be expected from someone wouldn’t like an uneducated, self absorbed, self destructive asshole.
Bar Italia sucked before and sucks just as much now. There should be some sort of ‘bouncing license’ that is super hard to get and super easy to lose. No, you can’t make assumptions about Somers if ya don’t know the guy, but I figure if you ask most people, they would simply think he’s a huge loser for even working for a dreadful establishment like BAR Italia in Winnipeg. The only thing Bar Italia has going for it is location. Service is the shits, people’s mandibles are going absolutely crazy from all the blow they snorted in the bathroom, and they open the day after Somers killed Rent. Serve you til you drop dead too. Wasn’t there an incident there the other night where a bat was used in an altercation? Wtf? Close that place and better society.
I read the responses and find it disturbing that anyone who knows little about the incident, was not there, and does not personally know anyone involved, could have such strong opinions. I guess the empy barrel really does make the most noise.