'She didn't deserve what happened,' boyfriend says of woman found dead at Salvation Army

A woman who was killed near the downtown shelter where she lived was a bubbly and thoughtful person who wanted to be a change-maker on safety concerns in Winnipeg's core area, a loved onesays.

"She pushed for a better life for all of us," said Falin Johnston's boyfriend, who goes by the name Bear. "She didn't deserve what happened to her she was the nicest girl in the world."

Johnston, 28, was found dead inside the Salvation Army Centre of Hope at Main Street and Henry Avenue on the morning of June 26. Paramedics were called there for a medical incident, police have said.

While she was found inside, shelter officials told CBC previously that she was assaulted just outside of the shelter.

She'd been living at the Salvation Army since around August 2022, Bear said.

Woman assaulted numerous times before death

1 year ago

Duration 1:50

Loved ones of Falin Johnston say she had pushed for a better life for others. Johnston was killed outside the Salvation Army Centre for Hope near downtown Winnipeg last week. Her death has been ruled a homicide. A 40-year old woman is wanted in connection with Johnston's death.

Police said an autopsy ruled her deatha homicide.

Johnston was assaulted numerous times in the period leading up to her death, Bear told CBC News in an interview outside the shelter on Sunday.

CBC spoke to several people living at the Salvation Army who said multiple people were involved in the assaults and there were many witnesses outside.

"It's hit a lot of us very hard," Bear said. "Things just happen down here so fast. It's a hard life down here."

Johnston had physical limitations, Bear said.

Despite them, she was "so nice to people, so bubbly, so smart," he said.

She was vocal about wanting to see safety changes in and around the shelter and had a list of improvements that could be made, Bear said.

"There's definitely change that needs to be happening down here. People call it no man's land. Nobody cares what happens to them," he said.

"A lot of people view [it] like they're sent here to die, and unfortunately, that was one of the situations that happened with her."

People afraid to step in

Johnston sawBear was not just an angry man incapable of getting back on his feet, he said.

"She saw the good in me," he said.

Johnston spokewith CBCreporterEmily Brass in Decemberfor a story about the vulnerabliity of women struggling to find housing,given thecity's lack of shelter space specifically for them. Johnston said then that she felt "really safe" being on the all-women floor at Salvation Army.

Residents of the shelter spoke of a volatile atmosphere right outside its doors and a culture of fear when it comes to standing up for others.

"It's just open game. As soon as you're on the sidewalk, you're on your own," said Blair Mitchell, who has lived at the Salvation Army for more than a year.

There are police at the Millennium Library, but the area outside the Salvation Army is far more dangerous, Mitchell said.

"Why don't we have police here and security 24/7? People are dying here because they're homeless and they have no place to go and nothing else to do but tolerate the indifference that is being felt for them," he said.

"How much money do people have to make around here before we actually get police around here and security to protect us?"

Winnipeg police saidRebecca Marina Flett, 40, is wanted in connection withJohnston's death.

Police described Flettas five feet, four inches tall and about 160 pounds, with a medium build and long brown hair.

Anyone with information regarding Flett's whereabouts or about Johnston's death is asked to call the Winnipeg police homicide unit at 204-986-6508 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS).

WATCH |Falin Johnston talks about being thankful for a room on a floorfor women in a Winnipeg shelter:

Lack of shelter for women experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg

2 years ago

Duration 2:30

There are calls for more safe spaces for women in Winnipeg experiencing homelessness. While most Canadian cities have emergency, overnight shelters, exclusively for women, Winnipeg does not.