Sketch released of suspect in bloody attack on college instructor in Winnipeg

Police are urging the public to help them identify a man they say tried to murder a Red River College instructor in downtown Winnipeg.

The attack, which appears to be unprovoked andrandom,happened Oct. 16at King Street and William Avenue, near the college's Exchange District campus.

On Thursday, police released a composite sketch of the suspect as well as some grainy images taken from surveillance video of a person of interest.

The stabbing attack onthe 42-year-old instructorwas so vicious that when hetried calling 911, the amount of blood prevented him from usingthephone,said police spokesman Const. Jay Murray.

"I thinkthat just speaks to the severity of the injuries. We believe this was an attempted murder and that's how we're investigating it at this time," he said.

"These are injuries that this person will probably carry for the rest of their life and will probably be life altering."

Police said the instructorwas walking around 9:20 p.m. when he wasattacked from behind. Hedidn't say anything to the attacker so it isunclear what prompted the beating, Murray said.

The instructor tried to flag down drivers passing by during the attack but no one stopped to help, Murray said. Eventually, he got the attention of a medical professional who was passing by and provided immediate medical assistance.

The instructor was taken to hospital in critical condition, but later stabilized. Heis now at home and recovering from his injuries, the college says.

He gave police a description of the attacker, describing him as being in his late 30s to 40s with a dark complexion anddark eyes.

He is also described as five foot 11 orsix feet tall, with a slender build, prominentcheekbones and black, straight and shinyshoulder-length hair, curled at the bottom.

Police have scanned surveillance cameras from the area and pulled images of a possible suspect, who was wearing a blue or purple sweatshirt with the word "Canada" on the chest.