Mr. Deol, 52, father of four children, was found bleeding from multiple stab wounds shortly after 3 a.m. on July 18, 2001. Mr. Deol came to Canada in 1997 with his wife, son and three daughters. He worked as a security guard in Winnipeg before he began driving for Unicity Taxi about three months before his death. Three members of a local street gang were arrested and charged with second degree murder. All three had been in police hands within hours of the murder. One had been released on bail from the Winnipeg Remand Centre after being arrested for uttering threats, mischief and violating probation orders. The other two were arrested on the Dauphin River Indian Reserve after a car was vandalized. They were released after being charged with several offences, including mischief. Many Winnipeg taxi drivers attended Mr. Deol's funeral and then drove in a procession to a mass rally at the Legislative Building to lobby for government financial support for safety shields. In July, 2002 the government announced that shields and cameras would be made mandatory by the beginning of December. A surcharge of 25 cents was to be placed on cab fares to help pay for the new equipment. Also in July, one of the arrested men pleaded guilty to second degree murder. A week later he fired his lawyer and refused to testify at the preliminary hearing of his co-accused. A third man was granted immunity from prosecution for agreeing to be a Crown witness.

Pritam Deol. (Source: Winnipeg Sun, July21, 2001, p. 5)