Horror, once again. In a gesture of incredible violence, three people were killed on Friday morning in an apartment building in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, allegedly killed family members who lived in the same building.
According to our information, the sordid crime that occurred Friday in the neighborhood shook the 911 attendants and the police who arrived on the scene around 9:20 a.m. The bodies of the three people found dead showed “marks of violence”, possibly committed with a “ sharp object”, indicates the public relations officer of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Julien Lévesque. The suspect was arrested in front of the building where the victims lived.
According to Montreal Journal, the author of the triple murder was followed for mental health problems. It would be a young man of 19 years.
The tragedy occurred in a building located on Bélanger Street, across from the Montreal Heart Institute. The motive for the crime remains unknown, but this gesture of rare violence has aroused a wave of sympathy from the political class.
Misunderstanding reigns in this peaceful neighborhood where acts of violence, especially street gangs, have been more frequent for five years, according to residents of the area.
“We live in tough times. Obviously, there are a lot of people who are not well, ”reacted Vincent Marissal, deputy for Rosemont, met near the security perimeter erected around the crime scene. He has a thought for the victims and their loved ones, as well as for the first responders, who are in shock after the triple murder on Friday morning.
Life is good in the Rosemont district, it’s quiet in most of the sector, but episodes of violence arise more often than before, according to the deputy.
This senseless crime occurs the same week that the driver of a pickup truck drove into 11 pedestrians in Amqui, Gaspésie, killing two people and injuring nine others. The drama of Rosemont is also added to that of Laval (a bus driver ran into a daycare center last month) and four recent feminicides. Vincent Marissal also reports that a young man was shot just a stone’s throw from his constituency office last week.
“I see a lot of psychological distress in Quebec. People who are suffering, especially men, may not have access to the psychological and economic help they need,” added the MNA for Rosemont.
Insecure
The suspect of the drama had told recently on Instagram that he was better, after having gone through a difficult period for two years. He said he quit using cannabis, started training and took up speed skating. ” […] There, feeling happy is like stepping into the void. It’s still scary to become happy again, ”he said.
The young man was questioned Friday by SPVM investigators. A security perimeter was erected and traffic was blocked on a portion of rue Bélanger, between rue Viau and 40e av.
The reactions were quick to fuse on Friday, a few minutes after the SPVM announced that it was investigating these three murders. “There is violence everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. We feel less and less safe, ”reacted Diane Émond, who has lived for nine years in the area where the Rosemont tragedy occurred.
“The person who did this [les meurtres], there must be something wrong in his life. She needs help. I myself needed help and it is difficult to find a psychologist. I just had one, but I had been waiting since 2021, ”said the 57-year-old woman, who worked in housekeeping in the health network.
All you have to do is get around town on foot, by car or by public transport to see that good citizenship is getting out of hand, believes Diane Émond. “Motorists honk their horns even when we take the pedestrian crossing, they get impatient because we slow them down. »
Fire
Gildor Vallée, who has lived in the area for 21 years, says the area has become less peaceful over the past five years. “I wonder if I’m safe,” he said. Gunshots fired by street gangs are heard more often than before.
He and one of his neighbours, Christian Paradis, recall the violent events of recent years: a man beaten with a baseball bat next to the old McDonald’s restaurant, another shot down in front of the Subway, an attempted garbage trucks that ends in gunfire…
“Yesterday the prime minister called on people with mental health issues to get help, but how do you know they’re going to get violent? », points out Gildor Vallée.
Political reactions
The political class reacted to the triple murder on Friday. “Three lives were taken this morning in Rosemont. It’s awful. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims affected by this tragedy. We are monitoring the situation closely, ”said Quebec Premier François Legault.
“I have a thought for the three people who died in horrible circumstances in Rosemont. My condolences to their loved ones, ”wrote the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, on Twitter.
Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, elected in Montreal East, wrote on Twitter: “Tragic events in Rosemont this morning. Three people were violently killed. My thoughts go out to the loved ones and families of the victims. We must act in the face of the increase in violence in our society, whatever the source. »
“I am wholeheartedly with the families and loved ones of the victims of this terrible tragedy that occurred this morning in the Rosemont district. I am also thinking of all the teams present on the ground to control the situation. Thank you for your work,” added Liberal MP Jennifer Maccarone.
With Zacharie Goudreault