A video clip insulting the dead, tensions in the street and several provocations on social networks could have led to the murder of a 29-year-old man on Wednesday in Laval. The victim was connected to a street gang involved in several conflicts, according to authorities.
Frédérick Michel was found unconscious in the parking lot of a gym located on the service road of the Jean-Noël-Lavoie highway (highway 440). The 29-year-old man was near his vehicle when he was shot shortly before midnight. The injured man was transported to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Nicknamed Boolin, the victim was known to the police and had several criminal records. She would, according to our police sources, be associated with a street gang in the Saint-François sector. This is the 24 Gang, an ally of the Flamehead Boys (FHB) of Laval-des-Rapides. These two Laval street gangs are linked to several shootings that have occurred in the last three years. They are involved in several conflicts that have generated a wave of armed violence in recent years in Montreal and Laval.
A video clip that ignited the powder is one of the hypotheses studied by investigators to explain this murder which occurred on Wednesday shortly before midnight, our sources confirm.
A burned car was found on Avenue Jean-Bourdon a few kilometers from the murder, in the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, in Montreal. According to our information, this could be the vehicle driven by the shooter(s). “We cannot confirm at the moment whether there is a link with the Laval event,” indicated the SQ public relations agent, Maïté Bolduc.
Insulted dead
The author of the video clip in question launched on YouTube on March 31 is an emerging rapper enjoying a certain popularity. Some of his videos have accumulated up to 100,000 views. He is known for his pieces of drill rap, musical subgenre of hip-hop. He is also considered by the police to be a member of the Laval street gang 24 Gang, associated with the Saint-François district.
His song, described as violent by several rappers, was removed by the performer himself the day after its broadcast. In a short video interview, he explained that he had received several threats and disapproving comments and wanted to set a better example for young people.
The damage was already done: in his song he insulted several people who had lost their lives at the end of various conflicts between gangs, according to our criminal sources. The track featured mocking references to the assassinations of Justice Owusu Tajudeen (Steady), Gordy Jean-Paul (Young Dev), Duckerns Pierre Clermont (Jeune Loup), Chayanne O’Neil Peralta Garcia (Chacha) and Nitchell Lapaix (Crank).
Within the underworld, the musician and criminal was criticized for appropriating murders with which he sometimes had nothing to do and at the same time for making fun of homicides to which his gang was linked.
Several anonymous accounts had vilified the rapper on YouTube. Other Internet users, on the contrary, encouraged it, as evidenced by a screenshot taken by The Press at the time of broadcast. These provocations on social networks are likely to have added fuel to the fire, our sources believe.
SCREENSHOT TAKEN BY THE PRESS ON MARCH 31, 2024
A violent provocation from an anonymous Internet user in the comment section of the video clip refers in particular to the murders of Stéphane Risler Achille and Junior Lemoyne Printemps.
The murder of Frédérick Michel, a friend of this rapper, could be a response to the music video, think our police sources. He is believed to be the most recent victim of a gang feud that came to a head between 2020 and 2022.
Several individuals allegedly linked to the 24 Gang and the FHB have died in recent years: Widny St-Vil (Tree), Stéphane Risler Achille (Sofly) and Junior Lemoyne Printemps. The latter, a family member of two men associated with the FHB, is considered by the police to be a collateral victim.
Many alliances, multiple conflicts
It is the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) which took charge of the investigation into the death of Frédérick Michel, which promises to be complex in a context of tensions between criminal groups where alliances abound.
The FHB and 24 Gang affiliation found itself involved in several conflicts, including a bloody feud with a Laval street gang of blue allegiance. This gang has no official name, but police identify it by the acronym 2DIE4, which would stand for 24 and “DIE.”
A violent rivalry between FHB/24 Gang and the street gangs of Villeray, Pie-IX, Chomedey and various gang members from downtown and even Montreal North developed over time.
The FHB and the 24 Gang are also associated, according to the police, with the gangs of Rivière-des-Prairies and Saint-Léonard.
With Daniel Renaud, The Press