The approximately 1,400 citizens of the municipality of La Doré had quite a scare on Saturday when the Sûreté du Québec asked them to stay at home with their doors locked while they combed the Lac Élaine sector in search of a man. armed.
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Several hours passed before the police seized the accused, who was about 45 kilometers from the village.
“There are about 470 cabins that are in all sectors on several lakes. In a place as pretty as La Doré, in the countryside, it is sure that it is something that is quite impressive. I am 62 years old and I have never seen that”, noted the mayor of La Doré, Ghislain Laprise, returning to the events of the weekend Monday.
A man was hit by a projectile in the abdomen last Saturday, while riding a snowmobile on the west branch road, in La Dorée. The event occurred in the Lac St-Élaine sector, about 30 minutes from the village.
Sylvain St-Pierre faces four counts, including attempted murder. According to the mayor, the accused was not well known to the population and was rather isolated from others.
Citizens on the alert
Citizens received an alert around 2 p.m. asking them to stay in their homes and lock their doors. They were held in suspense for nearly four hours before the suspect was subdued at around 5:45 p.m.
“We asked a lot of questions. I went outside, I locked my car doors, I locked my house doors. I have two children, so I said we weren’t playing outside,” said a resident of La Doré.
“People were worried, they told us about it, they wondered where it was,” continued the cashier of the village convenience store.
The snowmobiler was seriously injured, but according to the latest information, he is out of danger.
“I take this opportunity to tell the family of the person who was fired that we are with them. It’s really deplorable situations like that that happen, especially when you go to practice activities that you love, “said the mayor.
Ghislain Laprise recommended that snowmobile enthusiasts avoid riding on private land and respect the rules of the trails. Even if the citizens say they are reassured, some will be more suspicious in the future.