Concern was escalated in Montreal after the shooting that caused the death of a young rapper in the Anjou borough on Thursday evening. Residents are now afraid of walking in the streets, but the SPVM affirms that the metropolis remains a safe place.
Hani Ouahdi, a 20-year-old who succumbed to his injuries after being the victim of a shooting Thursday, was known to the rap scene in Montreal. His artist name was Dzairy. The message “My brother rest in peace” was posted on the acturap_mtl Instagram page on Friday.
PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM
Hani Ouahdi was known to the rap scene in Montreal as Dzairy.
Recall that around 7:15 p.m. Thursday, the police officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) were called for gunfire in the borough of Anjou, in eastern Montreal.
Hani Ouahdi was found in a car with severe gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, Thursday night to Friday. “The 20-year-old was not known to our services. We will do checks with friends and family, to see if there is a reason that could have led to the event, ”said Jean-Pierre Brabant, spokesperson for the SPVM.
PHOTO PHILIPPE BOIVIN, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A security perimeter was established Thursday evening on Place Cointerel.
Another victim, a 17-year-old teenager, was also in the vehicle at the time of the gunfire. He sustained minor upper body injuries before fleeing and seeking help at a nearby convenience store. This teenager was known to the police and collaborated in the investigation, according to the SPVM.
Police went door to door in the neighborhood on Friday to reassure residents and gather information. As of this writing, no suspect has been spotted. The security perimeter in the neighborhood was defeated on Friday, but the investigation of the major crimes division of the SPVM is still underway to shed light on the events.
“His eyes were already gone”
“Of course, that’s not reassuring; 7 p.m. is not midnight. Normally, I come back from school at that time, ”worried 19-year-old Carl-Étienne Dessureault. The student in multimedia integration techniques at Maisonneuve College will now take the busiest streets to return home, he told Press. The reason: he lives right next to the place where Hani Ouahdi was killed on Thursday evening.
Another neighbor confided in Press to be shocked by the events.
We heard gunshots. My partner is a doctor, so he went out for CPR [réanimation cardiorespiratoire], but he saw that it was the end. He saw that his eyes [ceux de la victime] had already left.
A neighbor met by Press
The tragedy worries the young mother, who often returns to work at the time when the events took place. “What time do we have to be home to be safe?” She wonders.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Police deployment at the corner of Place Cointerel and Boulevard des Roseraies, Friday
Several neighbors told Press that their neighborhood was safe and that this was an isolated event. On October 13, an attempted murder with a firearm took place in the district of Anjou, rue Jarry, north of the Metropolitan highway, according to a newspaper article. Metro. Hani Ouahdi did not live in the neighborhood, according to information from Press.
“In the wrong place, at the wrong time”
Lina, who wished to keep her last name secret, saw Hani the day before the murder. She speaks of her friend as a loved one by all. He wanted “to make proud his parents who left Algeria to be able to offer him a better quality of life.” He also intended to enroll in university this winter, but he was still undecided about his choice of program, ”she said in writing to Press. “He was passionate about rap, this passion occupied a large part of his time and he worked hard on it,” she adds.
According to Lina, Hani found himself “in the wrong place at the wrong time”. “He was not involved in this kind of story and did not have this kind of dating,” she says.
Thursday’s event brings the number of homicides committed in the territory of the SPVM to 32 this year.
Montreal remains a “safe” city, says the SPVM
Despite the increase in the number of shootings, the metropolis remains a “safe” city, Montreal police said Thursday, calling for calm and continued efforts against the circulation of firearms.
“You still have to take a step back and see the big picture. We have to look at what is happening in major North American cities to realize that, after all, Montreal is a safe city, ”Inspector David Shane, spokesperson for the SPVM, explained on Friday. hurry.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
Inspector David Shane, spokesperson for the SPVM
Mr. Shane argued that the whole network “is working to keep it safe” but that gun violence “is a societal phenomenon, not just a criminal one.” “It requires a comprehensive approach from all security partners. The police cannot come to the end of this alone, ”he said.
While many residents show signs of concern, some even considering leaving the neighborhood, Inspector Shane was empathetic. “I understand very well people being in shock, especially when it happens on our streets and when it’s very close to us. “
It challenges us ourselves as police officers, as parents too, when events affect younger people. It shocks us, it comes to seek us in our guts.
Inspector David Shane, spokesperson for the SPVM
“All the necessary resources have been deployed to solve this crime. Each time there is an attempted murder, it is important for us and we do not skimp on the means, ”he added.
Begging all parties to “take their leadership”, the inspector also recalled that in the medium and long term, the police “cannot intervene to change the socioeconomic data of a neighborhood, for example”.
With the collaboration of Mayssa Ferah, Daniel Renaud and Coralie Laplante, Press
A busy year for Info-Crime
The confidential Info-Crime Montreal reporting center indicated on Friday that it had received just over 10,620 reports from citizens between June 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021. More than half, or 5,488, were made by means of a web form, and the rest, 5136, by phone. The total number of interventions is practically double compared to last year. This is the first time in the history of the organization that the number of electronic reports has exceeded the number of reports made by telephone.