AMQUI | Jean Lafrenière and his spouse, Pauline, were a united couple. The citizens of Amqui saw them walking downtown almost every day with a smile, but fate struck.
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Mr. Lafrenière is one of the two victims of the ramming truck attack. His spouse, Pauline, who as usual was by his side, suffered serious leg injuries. Beyond all this suffering, she lost her accomplice.
A few steps from the crime scene, Daniel Thériault, a friend of the couple, looks into the distance and he still cannot believe his eyes.
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Daniel Thériault (photo) was a friend of the victim Jean Lafrenière and his spouse Pauline, a united couple according to him.
Sûreté du Québec cars, dozens of journalists, a downtown that is no longer a shadow of what it was barely 24 hours ago, Mr. Thériault is also suffering.
“I saw them walking regularly, they were always together. Pauline and Jean were in great physical shape, they went camping in the summer, it’s terrible what happens,” he says, tears in his eyes.
Looking for a home
He says that the couple had started looking for a new home for the sunny days. The longtime lovers were thinking about leaving their home, but the two were keen on their peaceful town.
“The dramas usually happen in the big centers”, can we hear on the ground.
“Pauline had just called me last week because they were looking for an apartment. They wanted to stay here, they loved Amqui,” he says.
A retired paramedic, Daniel Thériault has seen accidents and injuries, but this time it’s different.
It’s not the result of chance, it’s a voluntary gesture that he can’t explain, and a feeling of rage animates him.
“I don’t know Steve Gagnon. What I see is a man who was driving a truck that hit children and people. If he was sick, we will treat him, but if he is found guilty of having done it intentionally, I think there is not a heavy enough sentence, ”confides the man.
Tribute to the other victim too
Mr. Thériault also paid tribute to Gérald Charest, whom he also knew. He highlights the kindness of the man who worked for a long time as a landscaper for a contractor in Amqui.
“It hadn’t been that long since he retired. I still see him in his tractor, he always had a big smile. You could see that he was happy, he had the feeling of accomplishment. When he walked, he waved his hand at everyone,” he recalls.
The president of the board of the Fabrique d’Amqui also had good words for Mr. Charest. “He was an everyday volunteer when he wasn’t working. […] He is a gentleman who was always smiling, in a good mood, very generous, ”described Jeanne D’Arc Voyer.