A 37-year-old man lost his life in suspicious circumstances after he was allegedly pushed down a flight of stairs in Pointe-Saint-Charles on Sunday. Less than two weeks earlier, two young men had been shot 200 meters away. However, there are no links between the two cases, according to the SPVM.
Posted at 3:12 p.m.
Updated at 6:18 p.m.
The residents of Ash Street, in the Pointe-Saint-Charles district, are beginning to get used to the lights of revolving lights. Sunday afternoon, a vast security perimeter was established by the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) at the corner of rue Le Ber, facing the park of the same name. The command post and the forensic identification team are on site.
Around 12:30 p.m., the SPVM was called for a man who was allegedly pushed down an exterior staircase of a residential building. It would be an assault between at least two people in a dwelling which ended with the fall of the victim, aged 37, explains Mariane Allaire-Morin, public relations officer for the SPVM, met on the scene.
At this location, the buildings do not have high stairs at the front. The attack would therefore have taken place, in all likelihood, in the rear. There, emergency exits and spiral staircases lead from many apartments to a parking lot.
When emergency services arrived, the victim was lying at the bottom of the stairs. The police attempted resuscitation, without success. “His death was noted on the spot,” says Véronique Comtois, public relations officer for the SPVM.
An ongoing investigation
The causes of death have not yet been determined, nor the circumstances that led to the fall. “Was the man pushed? Did he fall? It is not clear, ”explains agent Allaire-Morin.
The thesis of the murder is indeed considered by the SPVM, but is not confirmed, “far from it”, she specifies.
In particular, the SPVM must meet numerous witnesses, who “saw or heard” what had happened, first in the targeted apartment and then outside. At least one suspect is involved, but, according to Mme Allaire-Morin, there were no arrests on file.
The relationship between the victim and the suspect – family, friends, etc. – is not known at this time.
A double attempted murder at 200 meters
The inhabitants of the district met by The Press around the security perimeter are surprised – and worried – about the events. It is that a little less than two weeks ago, on the night of July 27 to 28, on the same street, a similar police scene unfolded, but 200 meters away, at the corner of rue Dick Irvin .
Two young men aged 18 and 20 were seriously injured by gunshots in a “double attempted murder”, according to Mme Allaire Morin. After being declared in critical condition at the hospital, their condition had finally stabilized.
“We do not think there is a link [entre les deux affaires », a affirmé Mariane Allaire-Morin à La Presse dimanche.
N’empêche, les résidants du quartier – des rues résidentielles bordées d’immeubles à logement entourant un petit parc – sont ébranlés.
« Je sors moins le soir, a confié Doris Lévesque, qui habite à quelques minutes de marche. Je prends mes marches de jour. »
Pour un autre résidant, qui habite sur place depuis 30 ans et qui a préféré témoigner de façon anonyme, la tournure des choses est inquiétante. « Hier soir, il y avait des feux d’artifice, mais j’avais comme peur [de sortir], he illustrates. I said to myself: “we will be safer in the house”. »
Yet life seems to be going on, despite everything. On the way from The Presswalkers strolled through Le Ber Park, a father and son played basketball just in front of the police security perimeter, people relaxed on their balconies in the oppressive heat, and others did exercises.
For Marie-Nathalie Martineau, who has lived a little further on Ash Street for 5 years, it is strange to see normality in abnormality.