The court confirmed on Wednesday that the man accused of deliberately hitting pedestrians with his van in Amqui will remain behind bars until the end of his trial.
It is in fact a formality, since Steve Gagnon is accused of three counts of premeditated murder – the most serious in the Criminal Code – which do not provide for release on bail. Gagnon is also charged with nine attempted murders, including two against children.
The 38-year-old man appeared Wednesday at the Amqui courthouse. His attorney again requested a trial by judge and jury. The preliminary inquiry will take place from September 5 to 8.
On March 13, a pickup truck driver drove down a sidewalk downtown in the small municipality of Gaspésie. He mowed down 12 random pedestrians, apparently. The crime scene extended over several tens of meters.
The driver killed Gérald Charest, Jean Lafrenière and Simon-Guillaume Bourget. The three victims were aged 65, 73 and 41 respectively.
Steve Gagnon surrendered to the police in the moments following the attack on Amqui. His lawyer, Mr.e Hugo Caissy has not yet revealed whether he will plead guilty or what his defense will be if necessary.