The Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, will meet with police chiefs from the Montreal region on Friday, in the wake of the three homicides committed within 24 hours that have deeply shaken the region.
Posted at 10:02
It was his cabinet that confirmed the information at the start of the day. According to our information, the heads of the Montreal and Laval police forces, as well as that of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), should participate in the discussions. “We will take stock of the situation in Montreal to see if they need anything to continue their work,” said the minister’s press attaché, Louis-Julien Dufresne.
He says the minister is mostly “in listening mode”. “The purpose of the meeting is for the police forces to inform the Minister of the issues and their needs. The minister will certainly have a few questions about what is happening on the ground these days in general, but above all we want to be able to facilitate their work if necessary, ”he insists.
On Twitter, Thursday, Mme Guilbault said that “the three homicides that occurred in Montreal and Laval horrified us all” “Our hearts go out to the families of the three victims. Thank you to the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), which reacted quickly,” she said.
Still secure
Several logistical issues should be addressed during the meeting, because in the affected sectors – namely Saint-Laurent, Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Laval – several security services will continue in the coming days in order to reassure the population. “Montrealers’ sense of security will always remain at the heart of the SPVM’s concerns,” said the interim director of the Montreal police force, Sophie Roy, on Thursday.
Recall that the investigation into the police operation on Thursday morning, during which the suspect Abdullah Shaikh was shot dead, has been transferred to the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI). The SQ, meanwhile, will be responsible for investigating the three homicides. The SPVM, for its part, has already indicated that it cannot “comment more fully on the events and investigations in progress”.
The most recent victim of this series of homicides is Alex Lévis Crevier, a 22-year-old Laval resident. He was riding a skateboard in the Laval-des-Rapides district when the shootings occurred. He would have been randomly targeted. Two men were killed within an hour of each other on Tuesday evening. The first victim is André Fernand Lemieux, a 64-year-old man, father of Quebec boxer David Lemieux.
An hour later, officers found a man lying on the ground with gunshot wounds, about two miles from the first kill. Mohamed Salah Belhaj, an intervention officer at the Albert-Prévost mental health hospital, 48, also succumbed to his injuries.
The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, also praised the work of the police, which according to her demonstrates once again “its efficiency and its dedication to the safety of Montrealers”. “The last 48 hours have been trying for everyone,” she insisted at the same time, in a tweet.