A man in his thirties was found unresponsive in an alley in Plateau-Mont-Royal early Sunday morning. As his body bore marks of violence, Montreal police opened an investigation and now consider the case a murder.
This is the 10e homicide to occur in 2024 in the metropolis.
The investigation was transferred to the major crimes section of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM), indicated its spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant.
It was around 5 a.m. Sunday that a call was made to 911 for immediate assistance. A passerby had just discovered the body of a man in an alley located very close to the intersection between avenue du Parc and avenue du Mont-Royal.
When the first patrol officers and paramedics arrived, resuscitation maneuvers were carried out in vain. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to agent Jean Pierre-Brabant, “checks revealed marks of violence” on the victim’s body, “which left[ait] believe in a suspicious death.
A vast security perimeter was erected to allow investigators to comb the scene. They were expected to remain there for a good part of Sunday. Avenue du Parc was blocked between Villeneuve and Duluth streets and Mont-Royal avenue, between Hutchison and Jeanne-Mance streets.
Several potential witnesses should be met by the police force, who will also view video tapes from surveillance cameras located near the scene in the neighborhood.