Outremont residents are worried after the murder of a young man early Sunday, near a park in the usually quiet Montreal borough.
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“We are a bit in shock, I have lived here all my life and I never thought I would see a crime scene, says Voula Kaffetzopolos, resident of Wiseman Avenue, located opposite the place where unfolded the drama. My 20 year old son is used to coming home late but feels less safe now. »
Around 12:35 a.m. Sunday, a 19-year-old young man was stabbed near John F. Kennedy Park, on Ducharme Avenue.
According to the first information provided by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the attack would have followed an altercation.
The victim was taken to hospital in critical condition and eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Contrary to what had been reported earlier in the day, the young man was “already known to the police”, confirmed to the Log Julien Lévesque, media relations officer for the SPVM.
The security perimeter set up around the crime scene by the police was lifted shortly before noon.
“The forensic identification technicians completed the work on site, assures Julien Lévesque. No suspect has been arrested so far. »
The beginnings observed
Photo Youri Nabbad
Fiona MacGillivray and Matt Pike were surprised by the police deployment.
Residents met around John F. Kennedy Park said that several incidents had been observed recently.
“We have been seeing groups of around thirty young people in the park for several months,” said Michel Saint-Martin, who has lived in the area for 20 years. On Halloween night, the police intervened to disperse them. It started when the neighborhood station closed. »
Same story with Guillaume Boxo, recently installed in the area.
“After midnight, when the park closes, several people come together to hang out together or sell drugs,” he says. I have lived here for six months, and I have already seen the police intervene three or four times. »
If the majority of the citizens met also declared that they had noticed late regroupings in the sector, no one imagined that a murder could have occurred there.
“Outremont is such a safe and family-friendly neighborhood, it’s really very surprising to see such a police force deployed here,” says Fiona MacGillivray, who lives opposite the park where the tragedy took place.
The investigation was transferred to the Major Crimes Section of the SPVM.
This is the 33rd murder to occur on the island of Montreal since the beginning of the year.