He shoots four strangers after a “simple remark” on his bag

It is almost 7 p.m. on a beautiful July evening. Sainte-Catherine Street is crowded. Suddenly, a young man fires in the middle of the street on four “pure strangers” in front of passers-by. All this for a trivial remark on his Gucci bag. While the shootings are a “real scourge” in Montreal, a judge refused to release the alleged shooter, even if he agreed to wear a surveillance bracelet.

Louis-Samuel Perron
Press

“To attack pure strangers by discharging a gun in the middle of a street which, given the time, was very busy is without a doubt highly reprehensible and, in this sense, it is imperative to reassure the public in order to let him maintain confidence in the administration of justice and in those who defend it. The public must also feel safe, ”Judge Mylène Grégoire ruled on Tuesday at the Montreal courthouse.

Arrested in mid-October, Thomas Makdessi, 23, was trying to be provisionally released during the legal process. The Lachine resident is notably accused of intentionally discharging a firearm, a charge that can carry a minimum sentence of five years.

On July 17, four young men take a walk in downtown Montreal. They first stop at a pharmacy on Sainte-Catherine Street to buy surgical masks. On their way out, they meet Thomas Makdessi and his wife and co-accused Selma Hatem, 20 years old.

According to the evidence presented to the investigation, one of the young men then made a comment about the men’s satchel (man purse) Gucci brand from Thomas Makdessi. Furious, the latter invites them to come “settle it in the alley”. Shortly afterwards, on Metcalfe Street, the accused took a gun from his bag and fired at the four men. Fortunately, no one is affected.

On a surveillance video filed in evidence, we can see the shooter in action, while passers-by are a few meters away. We even see him firing in the middle of the street (at 6:49:26 p.m. on the video). Nearby, an elderly couple on a terrace jumped at the detonation, showing another video. The bullet ended up on the front headlight of a parked vehicle, Crown evidence says.

The accused represents a “danger”, according to the judge

Many elements militate in favor of the detention of Thomas Makdessi, concludes the judge. Above all, the “proliferation” of gun crimes in Montreal is “on the rise to the point of constituting a real scourge,” she said, citing a recent decision by Judge Pierre Bélisle in a similar case. In fact, there were already 117 shootings in Montreal this year as of September 30. Information “disturbing”, according to the judge, who considers the alleged crimes as “extremely serious”.

In addition, it is a “simple remark” on his bag that would have provoked the anger of the defendant, recalls the judge. “Then, without warning, he takes a firearm out of said bag, points it in their direction and fires!” It’s Saturday night, at supper time in the heart of July, in downtown Montreal. Clearly, the traffic in the surrounding area is important, ”insists Judge Grégoire.

Hoping to be provisionally released, Thomas Makdessi has offered to be under house arrest 24 hours a day and even wear an electronic surveillance bracelet. His relatives would have paid the bill of $ 540 per month for the bracelet. The young man told the court to have taken control of his life thanks to his new “wife” and his recent job as a car salesman.

His mother also pledged to post $ 5,000 as a bond and house her son. But according to the judge, despite the goodwill of this lady, she has “no influence” over her son and “totally” ignores his whereabouts.

In addition, the testimony of Thomas Makdessi leaves “a flagrant lack of honesty and transparency towards the Tribunal”, said the judge.

In addition, until his arrest three months later, Thomas Makdessi continued to live “as if nothing had happened” by continuing to “spawn in the criminal community”, says Judge Grégoire. Its way of life is also indicative of the “danger it represents for the community”, she concludes.

The police seized a drone from his home with eight wrapped rolls of drugs “ready for delivery”. It is a method used to bring drugs into prison, according to an investigator.

The police also discovered $ 30,000 in cash, two boxes for storing handguns, a box of ammunition and dozens of pieces of identification. A seizure that raises “serious questions” about the lifestyle of the accused, concludes the judge.

Moreover, last August, the accused found himself embroiled in another firearm story in Laval. While Thomas Makdessi was a passenger in a Range Rover, the driver, Zakaria Zaki Rouaghi, was arrested with a loaded Glock 19 pistol which was in his satchel, according to the judgment. Thomas Makdessi’s wife then retrieved a gray satchel from the Range Rover and hastened to bring it to their apartment.

The case will be back in court next February. Note that the co-accused Selma Hatem is not detained.

M^e Geneviève Boutet represents the public prosecutor, while the accused is defended by Mr.^e Ramy El Turaby.