Gun violence in Montreal: two gangs that shoot a lot

A conflict between two street gangs that has been escalating since 2021 alone is behind a high proportion of events involving shootings last month in Montreal.

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At least five firearm discharge events that occurred between March 16 and March 29 are linked to the conflict between a gang from Saint-Léonard and another from Anjou, according to a report by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal ( SPVM) presented to the Youth Chamber.

According to data from Log10 discharges of firearms took place in the metropolis during this period.

This report was filed during the investigation into the release of a 17-year-old accused of pointing a firearm in front of a school in Anjou on March 29.

He will have to stay in the youth center while awaiting his trial, judge Éric Beauparlant ruled last Tuesday.

“The context linked to the major conflict between street gangs in the sectors concerned adds to the level of danger posed by the accused”, explained the judge.

Two young gangs

The first gang, named STL (the neighborhood’s initials), has been known since 2019 and is mainly active in bank and cell phone fraud.

The second is called Block 6, in connection with the place of Malicorne, in Anjou, where the addresses begin with the number 6. Known since 2020, it specializes in vehicle theft.

“The conflict between these groups is not attributable to a power struggle for the control of certain criminal activities, but rather the consequence of specific past events, in particular the murders of certain sympathizers, which had generated responses”, indicated Simon Robin, of the Crown.

The lawyer specifies that this conflict has generated a dozen discharges of firearms since 2021.

Around noon on March 29, the accused, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, and an accomplice allegedly drove towards a 15-year-old boy who was waiting for the bus a few meters from school.

The accomplice reportedly pointed a gun at the victim, who ran away.

After the event, the victim allegedly received a call from a friend saying he had seen a gray vehicle with people looking for members of Block 6, he told SPVM investigators.

This Toyota Highlander, which had been reported stolen in Laval the previous night, was then seen driving down a street near Anjou high school.

Twenty students…

The driver and the front passenger of the vehicle, hooded, would have pointed their weapons in the direction of about twenty students who were nearby.

A search of the accused’s home did not find the firearm, but the police found two machetes, a 9 mm pistol magazine and numerous ammunition.

– With Nicolas Saillant

MORE SHOTS TO EXPECT WHEN THE WEATHER IS GOOD

With summer upon us, shots fired between criminal gangs in Montreal could rise along with the mercury on the thermometer, warn criminology experts.

“Overall criminal activity, including gun violence, increases from June until the end of August. It’s the good season for everyone, including those who shoot themselves,” summarized the professor at the school of criminology at the University of Montreal, Rémi Boivin.

Why does good weather encourage crime? Simply because of a convergence of events, explains his colleague Étienne Blais.

“When the weather is nice, there are more people in the streets, which makes more targets for criminals, and therefore more risk of conflict. We must add to that the consumption of alcohol, which makes people more uninhibited, therefore more prone to altercations, ”said the man who also did his doctorate on the subject, more than 20 years ago.

Last week, the gunshots were chained, while we were treated to a taste of what summer should offer us in terms of temperature. No less than five shootings in as many days have occurred, including two on the same day.

Impulsive, but…

Many say it: the street gangs that shoot at each other are rather unpredictable and do not seem to have great strategies.

“But they are often not impulsive enough to go out more when it rains or when it snows,” added Mr. Boivin, who adds that to avoid crimes, all that is often needed is a very long series of rainy days.

A retired Montreal police officer confirms that the beautiful summer evenings when the mercury soared were particularly busy, especially downtown, where there was a concentration of people.

“I remember it was not ringing. And if at 1 a.m., torrential rain started to fall, the calls would stop completely, ”said former Detective Sergeant André Gélinas.

Moreover, during previous gang wars, such as in 2004-2005 or during the biker war, Montreal had experienced an upsurge in bullets fired when the mercury had risen, noted Mr. Boivin.