Police officers shot at an individual who was rushing towards them, a sharp object in his hand, in the early afternoon on Thursday. The man died as a result of the police intervention.
For an unknown reason, the man used a precision knife (of the Exacto type) to attack two of his roommates, in a rooming house on rue des Érables, in the Saint-Pierre district of Lachine.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers from the Montreal Police Department opened the door to the two-story building and ordered the suspect to throw down his gun. Instead of complying, he rushed at them at full speed, as shown in a video filmed by a neighbor.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
In the images, a policeman draws his weapon. Six or seven rapid detonations are heard. The suspect was handcuffed and the police tried to resuscitate him on the spot, according to a police source.
Seven investigators from the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) took charge of the case. “Shortly after 1 p.m., a call was made to 911 to the effect that a man had just attacked people with a sharp object,” the BEI confirmed in a press release. “When they arrived at the scene, the police reportedly spotted the man who allegedly had a sharp object in his possession. He allegedly charged at the police, and they opened fire in his direction. ”
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
A “hot” sector
Pierre Faucher was walking in his neighborhood when he saw police surrounding a building. “I heard the police identify themselves. They were screaming. They said they were armed, ”he says. “But the guy ran out and rushed towards them. Mr. Faucher then said to have heard around five shots.
Serge Brisebois, who lives nearby, also heard five shots. According to him, the scene involved two men and a woman. The latter appeared to be severely impaired. One of the men allegedly saw the police, quickly entered the apartment and the police broke down the door. The shots followed and Mr. Brisebois saw at least one arrested man.
Jacques Rhéaume was in his apartment when he heard the first shot. He walked to his window. “I heard your, your, your. There were lots of police in the street and a guy fell to the ground. They cut his laundry. They stripped him completely and gave him heart massage. ”
The tragedy occurred at the intersection of rue des Érables and avenue Windsor. According to a resident who did not want to name himself, the quadrilateral is a “hot” sector in the line of sight of the police. Still according to this resident, if “a few battles of pushers still occur in the neighborhood ”, there has been“ a good cleaning up in recent years ”and the level of violence has generally declined.
Urgences-santé confirms having transported three people to hospitals in Montreal. The suspect was in critical condition during transport. He was pronounced dead in hospital.
“The other two patients were transported to a hospital and their condition is stable,” confirmed Carl Krog, advisor to the operations management center at Urgences-santé, who could not give details on the nature of the injuries. of the three people. A witness, however, said that one of the victims had a laceration on her neck.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Two ambulances, an advanced care vehicle and another vehicle from the task force were dispatched to the scene, Krog said.
The Sûreté du Québec also provided the assistance of two crime scene technicians.
The large security perimeter made it difficult for several residents to return home in the evening.