Outbreak of violence in Laval | Daytime shooting

Two little girls are playing outside in a residential area of ​​Laval. Suddenly, a black Cadillac approaches, a few meters from the children. Then, shots. A man receives a projectile from a gun in front of their eyes.

Mayssa Ferah
The Press

Frederik-Xavier Duhamel
The Press

This is the disturbing scene filmed by surveillance cameras in the area where another shooting took place on Tuesday afternoon in Laval. The sequence transmitted by a neighborhood resident to The Press shows that children were within a few meters of the victim.

“During the day, I never saw that,” says Ioan Palut, a local resident who has lived in Laval for 32 years. ” This is serious. »

This shooting, which occurred at the start of the afternoon in the middle of a residential area, is the third to shake Laval since Sunday, causing insecurity among residents.

A conflict between two street gangs would be at the origin of these multiple episodes of violence, learned The Press from various sources revolving around the criminal world.

Course of events

Emergency services received a call shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday for gunshots on rue Normandin, near boulevard Le Carrefour, in the Chomedey sector. The suspect or suspects fired from a vehicle before fleeing, according to the Laval Police Service (SPL), which was unable to provide a description of the vehicle.

The victim, a 33-year-old man, was hit in the leg and taken to hospital. We don’t fear for our life.

The victim is known to police circles. She pleaded guilty to weapons possession and assault with a weapon in 2011, then was arrested for breaching conditions in 2013. She was banned from owning a weapon for 10 years.

In images shown at The Press by a resident, what appears to be a black Cadillac car is seen following the victim’s vehicle, then passing in front of it as it parks.

On the third pass, a gun can be seen coming out of the passenger side window to fire at the victim, who is getting out of his car with a young woman.

At the same time, on the other side of the street, two little girls are busy looking for a cat under a car. The young girls jump and flee when they hear the gunshots as the suspicious vehicle speeds by.

Another video captures the sound of several shots and the cries of pain of the man targeted, visibly stunned. “It’s not even true, who is it? “, can we hear him vociferate before seeing him take refuge under a balcony. “I saw it too, man, fuck! »

“I heard the shots,” said Mike Massaad, who started his motorcycle a few dozen meters away, rue Beauregard. “At least three, followed by a woman who screamed. […] Three minutes later, the police arrived from both sides. He also heard the shots in the night from Saturday to Sunday, while another shooting left one dead and injured not far from there. “I don’t know if it’s related or not. […], I’ve seen incidents like this many times, it’s still shocking. It tells me there’s something going on. »

Outbreak of violence

Bullets fired in a residential area where children are having fun. The murder of an innocent man who came to attend a family celebration. Disputes on social networks, responses in the street. A sadly familiar scenario is playing out in Laval, where several shootings, including a fatal one, broke out earlier this week.

Tuesday’s event is similar to the day before. Several shots were fired on Avenue Dumouchel, in the Chomedey sector, on Monday shortly after 2 p.m.

Since Sunday, provocations have been circulating on social networks, he says.

“Zone 2 tried to pop us [tirer] at PSM [Place Saint-Martin, un HLM] “, can we read in a temporary publication on Instagram relayed by many people on social networks.

Zone 2 refers to the Flamed Head Boys street gang in Laval-des-Rapides, while Zone 3 represents their enemies, in Chomedey, explained to The Press a source from the criminal underworld. The two groups are embroiled in a long-standing violent conflict.

Internet users swearing allegiance to Laval gangs reacted to Monday’s shootings on social networks. “You aim like shit,” one of them taunted in one of the Instagram posts on Tuesday evening, sharing a newspaper article recounting the shooting. “Ten sockets not one, not two. Ten casings and it didn’t even hit any of us,” laughs another.

Sunday Murder

This new outbreak of violence has already cost the life of an innocent, Junior Lemoyne Printemps. Last Sunday, he and four members of his family were targeted at the end of a party organized in the Paragon reception hall, in the Chomedey district.

The 28-year-old victim was not known to the police and had no criminal record. The resident of Montreal North juggled between his profession as a barber and a job as a security guard at Garda.

At the L’Addict salon, a barber shop from the Rosemont district where the deceased worked, several messages pay him a last tribute.

“You were a good one, you didn’t deserve that”, “The sweetest and kindest spirit”, can we read on a poster plastered on the storefront.

“He was a guy with an infectious smile, full of good intentions,” describes Sammy-Jo Joseph, his colleague at the hair salon.

He’s never had any trouble with anyone, she lamented. In the living room, the empty chairs spoke volumes on Tuesday morning. “We’re trying to keep our spirits up. We were several to take the day on Monday. But you have to keep your head up and smile, because that’s what Junior would have wanted, ”continued the young woman.

Junior Lemoyne Printemps died instantly while a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured. Their Dodge Charger was riddled with bullets, on the driver’s side, just a hundred yards from the parking lot. Two of the three other passengers suffered minor injuries from flying glass.

According to our information, the deceased is a member of the family of Jemsley Olivier Printemps Sanon. Better known by his stage name JPS, the man in his twenties is a member of the street gang Flamed Head Boys, according to various law enforcement sources.

He was also present at the Paragon reception hall the evening of the murder, confide two men who revolve around the criminal world.

It is not known, however, whether Printemps Sanon was the person targeted by the shots that evening.

For now, residents’ insecurity is on the rise.

“I’ve lived here since 2003 and it’s not nice to see what’s going on here,” said resident Peter Karampatos, interviewed Tuesday about the most recent shooting. “I always felt like I lived in a safe city, in a safe neighborhood, and I want that to continue. But we want to see more leadership right now, because it’s getting a little out of control. »