Montreal police are investigating an attempted murder that occurred during the night near an arena in the Anjou borough, in the east of the island.
The police were alerted by several calls to 911 on Saturday, around 12:40 a.m., about gunshots heard at the intersection of Avenue Chaumont and Rue des Ormeaux. Several individuals were seen there fleeing in two vehicles.
“When the police arrived on the scene, they located several casings near the arena which is located on Chaumont Avenue, but when they arrived no suspects or victims were on the scene. […] A person was arrested not far from the scene of this attempted murder, but it is still too early to determine his involvement in the event, ”explained agent Jeanne Drouin, spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal (SPVM).
A victim showed up at a Montreal hospital about twenty minutes later. It is about a 20 year old man injured in the lower body, but there is no fear for his life.
A suspicious vehicle was also located.
“A vehicle that may correspond to one of the vehicles involved in this shooting incident is located near rue Saint-Zotique Est in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. The vehicle would have at least one projectile impact. There is a perimeter [de sécurité] which was erected on site to allow the forensic identification technician to analyze the vehicle and appraise it,” said the SPVM spokesperson.
A large security perimeter was also erected near the Chaumont arena, in the quadrilateral between Georges and Azilda avenues, then Yves-Prévost boulevard and Mousseau avenue, in the Anjou borough.
“The circumstances surrounding this event are still unknown at this time of the investigation. The police are on site to meet witnesses and are trying to find surveillance cameras that would have filmed the event. The canine unit was also deployed on site in search of evidence that could advance this investigation,” said Officer Drouin.
Gunfire also in Montreal North
It is still too early to determine if this event is related to another episode of gunfire that occurred Friday, around 11 p.m., in the Montreal-North borough.
In this case, a firearm projectile shattered the window of an apartment on avenue des Récollets and a casing was found near the scene. One person was inside, but was not injured. The SPVM could not immediately specify whether it was known to police circles.
“It was around 10:55 p.m. that the call was made to 911 concerning firearm detonations near avenue des Récollets and rue Martial, in the Montreal-North borough,” said another SPVM spokesperson, Sabrina Gauthier.
“When the police arrived, the suspect had already left the scene in an unknown direction. At this point in the investigation, the mode of escape also remains unknown. It is not known whether he was on foot or in a vehicle or several. All of this is currently being assessed by investigators,” said Agent Gauthier.
The crime scene erected there has been lifted. Again, a forensic identification technician and the canine unit had been requested to the scene.
The SPVM investigation into these two shooting events is continuing.