Montreal police have arrested four men linked to Laval street gangs for the murders of Justice Tajudeen Owusu and Noël Garcia-Frias, a major bust that could calm tensions linked to a violent conflict between a Laval-des-Rapides street gang, the Flamed Head Boys (FHB), and their rivals, a coalition of blue-aligned gangs called 26.
“Four men were arrested this morning in connection with two murders committed in Charlemagne and Montreal in June and August 2023,” confirms the Montreal Police Department (SPVM).
According to our information, the two victims are Justice Owusu Tajudeen, nicknamed Steady, and Noël Garcia-Frias.
Justice Owusu Tajudeen, 28, was shot dead last summer at the Arabesque chicha bar in downtown Montreal.
Noël Garcia-Frias, 32, died from his injuries after being hit by one or more gunshots. The victim, killed in Charlemagne in Lanaudière, was known to police circles.
Authorities believe, according to our sources, that the murder of Mr. Garcia-Frias in June 2023, one month before that of “Steady,” was in fact a case of mistaken identity.
“The latter was in his parked Audi Q8 when he was hit by the gunfire. Various elements collected by the SQ during its investigation suggest that the thirty-year-old could have been the victim of mistaken identity,” the SPVM believes.
He was driving the same vehicle as the real target, Justice Owusu Tajudeen.
The latter was close to Christopher Shawn Jean Vilsaint, who was shot dead two months ago.
Mr. Jean Vilsaint was the leader of a coalition of blue-allegiance gangs called 26, which included his friend Justice Owusu Tajudeen. This group was embroiled in several conflicts, including a violent feud with an enemy gang, the Flamed Head Boys (FHB) of Laval-des-Rapides.
Headliners
Among the four people suspected of taking part in these two homicides are two leading members of the FHB, a street gang with red allegiance.
Two of the suspects arrested Wednesday morning, aged 25 and 28 respectively, were already incarcerated in connection with two other cases at the time of their arrest. The first was at the Rivière-des-Prairies provincial detention centre and the second at the Donnacona federal penitentiary. Their alleged accomplices, men aged 24 and 32, were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, and Terrebonne.
The SPVM and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) were jointly investigating these two homicides.
“The four suspects will appear remotely over the next 24 hours to answer charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. It should be noted that the operation leading to the arrests was carried out in close collaboration with the Edmonton Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” Montreal police said.
With Daniel Renaud, The Press