The driver who allegedly hit the seven-year-old Ukrainian girl on her way to school on Tuesday morning in Montreal has been officially charged with a fatal hit-and-run.
Wednesday noon at the Montreal courthouse, Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia was charged with failing to stop following an accident causing death and the Crown opposed his release.
Mr. Becerra, 45, attended the hearing virtually from a police holding room. The 45-year-old man, who has no criminal record, wore a white t-shirt and a ponytail.
Crown prosecutor Alexandre Gautier explained in a press scrum that he had opposed the accused’s release to ensure he appeared at the next hearing, to reduce the risk to public and to protect public confidence in the justice system.
“We will continue to assess the file, the investigation will also continue, and we will be able to take a firmer position in the days that will follow,” mentioned Me Gautier.
Mr. Becerra, who lives on the South Shore, will return to court on Thursday, and an interpreter will be in the room to provide him with the information in Spanish. The purpose of this hearing will be to set a date for the bail hearing, unless the parties come to an agreement regarding bail conditions.
“It is still to be assessed; we are still early in the process. One thing is certain, I want to take this opportunity to offer our deepest sympathy to the complainant’s family, it is surely a disturbing event. We will work with them for the rest of things, ”said Me Gautier.
Ukrainian refugee
The seven-year-old girl had recently arrived in Canada with her mother, brother and sister. The little family was fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Michael Shwec of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress said on Wednesday that a priest is in contact with the mother and that an online fundraiser will be organized to help the family cover funeral costs.
According to Mr. Shwec, the girl, who was named Maria according to a fundraiser already launched, had arrived with her mother, brother and sister this year, while the father remained in Ukraine for fight the Russian invasion.
“It’s a terrible tragedy, a nightmare for the mother, the sister and the brother, but also for the community,” admitted Mr. Shwec in an interview with The Canadian Press. We welcome the support of all the people of Montreal, Quebec and Canada for this mother with their prayers, but also with financial help if they can. »
The girl was hit by a vehicle as she was walking around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning on rue Parthenais, near the intersection of rue de Rouen, a residential area.
Police say the driver of the vehicle left the scene before officers and first responders arrived. Montreal police spokeswoman Mariane Allaire Morin said the motorist finally surrendered to police on Tuesday afternoon.
As for the little girl, she was rushed to hospital where her condition was initially considered critical. His death was finally confirmed at the end of the day by the authorities.
“Be careful,” says Legault
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Prime Minister François Legault returned to the safety of children near schools during a press scrum in Quebec.
“There are rules in school zones, so I can just appeal to all Quebecers: please, in school zones, be careful,” Mr. Legault told reporters.
Since the tragedy, many residents of the area have denounced the non-respect of road signs near the place where the collision occurred. The situation has worsened, they say, since the start of major work on the Louis-Hyppolite-La Fontaine tunnel, which increased the volume of traffic on residential streets near the Jacques-Cartier bridge.
Details regarding the circumstances surrounding the collision are not yet known. The prosecutor in the file, Me Gautier, did not want to advance on this subject during his press briefing – he rather invited the journalists to wait for the next stages of the legal process.
For now, only one charge of fatal hit and run has been brought against Mr. Becerra, but Mr. Gautier agreed that the investigation is ongoing and that new developments could arise.
In any case, Mr. Legault recognized the terrible consequences of this accident.
“It’s so sad what happened: we have someone who leaves a war zone and comes here to be beaten up, it’s so sad. But let’s be careful in school zones. »