Windsor police have upgraded the charges in a 2013 home invasion due to the victim’s death — more than a year after he was shot in the head.
Police said the male victim — who was 49 at the time of the shooting — succumbed to injuries in the latter months of 2014.
The suspect in the crime, 21-year-old Kevin Poblete, now faces a charge of murder.
Poblete was originally charged with attempted murder when he was arrested on Jan. 28, 2014.
Windsor police spokesman Sgt. Matthew D’Asti said on Monday that investigators waited for the results of a post-mortem examination before upgrading the charge.
“We’ve learned that the reason the victim died is directly related to the gunshot wound,” D’Asti said.
D’Asti said Poblete was re-arrested on the new charge last Friday morning. However, D’Asti wasn’t sure if Poblete was in or out of custody at the time.
Windsor police officers examine the fourplex house at 818 Langlois Ave. in this Dec. 2013 file photo. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)
The violent incident took place on the night of Dec. 9, 2013. Police allege that Poblete and an accomplice knocked on the door of 818 Langlois Ave., then forced their way into the house when the door was opened.
The victim fought back. Investigators allege that Poblete was carrying a gun and he fired it at the victim.
Investigators also believe Poblete’s accomplice was armed with a club, baseball bat, or other blunt weapon. Along with the gunshot wound, the victim suffered lacerations on his head.
The accomplice hasn’t been found. “He’s still part of the investigation,” D’Asti said.
He is described as five-foot-seven to five-foot-nine in height, possibly Hispanic by heritage.
At the time of the crime, he was wearing a grey hooded sweater and a black baseball cap.
According to police, the home invasion was targeted, and drug-related. “We maintain that this was not a random act,” D’Asti emphasized on Monday. “We still believe this was a targeted incident.”
An unidentified woman clears broken glass from the front door of 818 Langlois Ave. in this April 2013 file photo. (Dax Melmer / The Windsor Star)
It wasn’t the first violence to happen at the address that year. Police investigated the same location after several shots were fired at the front door during the early morning hours of April 13, 2013. No one was hurt that time.
The address is also only two blocks south from where a shooting took place near the 7-Eleven on Saturday night.
Despite all these incidents, D’Asti would not describe that part of Langlois Avenue as a “bad” neighbourhood. Instead, he implored the public to be vigilant. “If you are witnessing crime, if you’re seeing problems, we want you to call us. We want hear from you, so that we know what’s going on.”
Anyone with more information about the 2013 home invasion and those involved is encouraged to call detectives at 519-255-6700 ext. 4830.
Anonymous tips can be submitted via 519-258-8477 or Crime Stoppers at www.catchcrooks.com.
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