The two alleged shooters who died in a collision, after targeting two motorists with firearm projectiles Thursday in the Rosemont and Plateau-Mont-Royal sectors, were minors aged only 14 and 16, we learned. The Press.
This was indicated by several police sources familiar with the matter, but who are not authorized to speak about it publicly. Officially, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), which took charge of the investigation, is currently refusing to confirm the identity or age of the two people involved.
Gunshots first rang out around 5 a.m. Thursday morning at the intersection of Boulevard Pie-IX and Rue de Bellechasse, in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. The shots then came from a moving vehicle and hit another driver in the shoulder.
The suspects then fled the scene. The targeted man, aged 41, had difficulty explaining why the alleged shooters attacked him when he was questioned by the police.
Shortly after this first event, another motorist was targeted by gunfire, this time at the corner of Saint-Joseph Boulevard and Henri-Julien Avenue, in the Plateau Mont-Royal sector. However, this 58-year-old driver was not hit despite shots fired in his direction from the suspect vehicle.
It was a police officer from the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) driving his patrol vehicle with flashing lights, in response to a call made to 911 regarding the shooting, who allegedly spotted the vehicle traveling dangerously. However, he lost sight of him after a brief chase.
A few minutes later, when he had managed to evade the police, the vehicle driven by the suspects hit a tree on rue Saint-Zotique, not far from 20e Avenue. Inside the car were two youths, ages 14 and 16, who were initially identified as being “in their 20s.” One of the two minors died on the spot, while the other succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
At this stage of the investigation, we still do not know what the motivations of the two young people behind the wheel were. According to our information, the police found at least one handgun in the suspects’ damaged vehicle. They were already driving erratically before being chased by patrol officers.
For the rest, everything indicates that the victims were chosen at random. The two men aged 41 and 58 who were targeted have no connection between them and have nothing to reproach themselves for in the eyes of investigators.
It is the SQ which is leading the investigation to shed light on this nebulous affair. That said, note that the intervention of police officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) will also be the subject of an analysis by the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI), as required by protocol when people die in margin of police intervention.
With Daniel Renaud and Mayssa Ferah, The Press