Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie | A decimated family

In a scene of rare violence, a young man of 19 probably stabbed three members of his family to death in a duplex in the Rosemont district of Montreal on Friday. He was subdued and arrested on the spot, shocking the neighborhood.

The first responders had to face a trying scene when they went around 9 a.m. Friday to this duplex on rue Bélanger, between rue Viau and 40^e Avenue, in the east of Montreal.

On the spot, they found not only three bodies, but also a young suspect, covered in blood. Arthur Galarneau, 19, had to be subdued before being arrested by the authorities. Several patrol officers and employees of the 911 central were subsequently taken in charge for psychological support.

Still according to our information, the three victims were members of the same family, the father, mother and grandmother of Arthur Galarneau.

He had lived in the basement of this duplex for a large number of years, indicated to The Press Ludovic Lachapelle, one of his longtime friends. To his knowledge, Mr. Galarneau’s mother lived downstairs and his grandmother lived upstairs. The father normally resided elsewhere.

“It’s as if he was warning us”

“Arthur is the last person I would have thought who could have done that,” said Ludovic Lachapelle. He is so sweet, his parents were also so nice to him. He never gave me the impression that he could be violent. »

The two friends were very close in elementary school, but had lost contact in high school, explains Mr. Lachapelle. They had reconnected since last summer.

According to our sources, the young man was known and followed for substance abuse and mental health problems. Ludovic Lachapelle also confirmed to The Press that Mr. Galarneau had had therapeutic follow-up since his childhood. He was an artist, gifted in drawing, and socially isolated, describes Mr. Lachapelle.

Five weeks ago, the suspect claimed on Instagram to have “completely changed [ses] life habits “. “I quit weed. I’m going to do strength training with a trainer for six months. I speed skate now. Really, my life has changed. It’s switching right now, it’s really fun, ”he said in a video.

But soon after, his publications had taken another tangent, underlines his friend. “He seemed more paranoid, he said that the government was watching him, that he saw bullshit on the networks and that it was difficult to discern the true from the false, illustrates Mr. Lachapelle. It’s as if he was warning us. »

“If I had known that it could happen, of course I would have spoken to him about it long before, I did not know that it was so serious, his condition”, adds the young man, distraught.

Note that the duplex on rue Bélanger where the murders occurred, and where Arthur Galarneau would have lived most of his life, had just been put up for sale.

The sale sign had been placed in front of the building last Friday, said a neighbor at The Press.

A viral video

Arthur Galarneau had to be subdued during his arrest at the scene, in particular with pepper spray.

In a video circulating extensively on social networks, we can see the suspect handcuffed to the ground, while several officers enter the accommodation and come out at a run. “There’s a lot of blood everywhere,” said the woman, in shock, filming the scene from a vehicle.

Officiellement, la police ne parle pas encore d’un triple meurtre, même si cela en a toutes les apparences. La mort des victimes aurait été causée par un « objet tranchant », a toutefois confirmé vendredi Julien Lévesque, relationniste médias pour le Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).

L’enquête a été transférée à la Section des crimes majeurs du SPVM. En fin de soirée vendredi, un vaste périmètre de sécurité était toujours en place rue Bélanger, à la hauteur de l’Institut de cardiologie de Montréal.

Des voisins abasourdis

Plusieurs citoyens se sont entassés autour du périmètre de sécurité dès le début de la journée.

« On est dans un quartier paisible ici. Ça devient inquiétant. C’est du monde qui a le moral au plus bas. Ça prendrait plus de suivi », a notamment affirmé Richard Frigon, qui habite dans les environs depuis plusieurs années. Derrière lui, un travailleur qui effectuait une livraison tout près des lieux quand le drame est survenu cherchait encore ses mots. « Je suis vraiment sous le choc. En plus, une famille… », a-t-il laissé tomber, visiblement très affecté.

« C’est épouvantable. Chaque personne vit des difficultés en 2023. La vie n’est rose pour personne. Mais ce n’est pas tout le monde qui est capable de se ramener à la raison », a de son côté lancé Diane Émond, aussi résidante du quartier, qui était sous le choc. « Ce ne sont pas des polices à tickets qu’on veut, pas des caméras, ce sont des actes », a imploré Martin, un autre résidant du secteur qui s’était déplacé sur les lieux.

« J’ai quand même peur. Je n’ai jamais vu ou entendu quelque chose comme ça. Ce matin, j’ai entendu les sirènes, mais c’est tout », a aussi raconté Emilio Caceres Carmona, qui habite à quelques pas de la résidence où est survenu le drame.

« Après Amqui cette semaine […] let’s say that times are tough on feelings. I have many thoughts for the neighbors. Here, it’s a relatively quiet neighborhood, a place where it’s generally good to live, ”commented the deputy for Rosemont, Vincent Marissal, met on the spot.

With the collaboration of Daniel Renaud, The Press