Winnipeg teen arrested for shooting death of Filipino man, 53

Joselito Fernandez, 53, was shot dead and robbed by a 16-year-old suspect. FERNANDEZ FAMILY

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Police arrested a 16-year-old on April 26 and charged with second degree murder for the shooting death of Joselito Fernandez.

The teenager was also charged with failing to comply with a probation order as well as two counts of possession of firearm.

Police believe that Fernandez was walking along the rail line near Selkirk Avenue on Thursday, April 18 when the boy confronted him, shot and robbed him before running away. Fernandez was pronounced dead in a hospital after he was found.

Police say the two did not know each other. Fernandez, 53, was “Lito” to friends and family. He had no history with police and was known as a hardworking man who immigrated from the Philippines 30 years ago.

His daughters, Judy Cook and Jaine Fernandez, told CTV News he worked hard his entire life to provide for his family. He had worked in many restaurants, including InFerno’s Bistro, where he spent years working in the kitchen.

“It’s really sad. The thing about small restaurants is it’s very much like a small family, right? So you have people that come and go, but there are people that you remember and he was one of those guys that you definitely remember,” InFerno’s Bistro’s Chris Kirouac told CTV News.