A visit to the zoo and the amusement park before committing a murder: Abdulla Shaikh, a young schizophrenic man suspected of having killed three men randomly during the summer of 2022, had gone to Ontario before leaving take from a third victim.
These new elements emerged Monday morning, as the Coroner’s public inquiry began aimed at shedding light on the murder of three men targeted at random by a man struggling with mental health problems in Montreal in Laval. Abdulla Shaikh, 26, was shot dead by police shortly after the triple homicide. The suspect was then hiding in a hotel in the Saint-Laurent area.
The suspect allegedly fired in the direction of André Lemieux on the evening of August 2, 2022. The 64-year-old victim was then inside a bus shelter, in the borough of Saint-Laurent. An hour later, he allegedly committed another murder: Mohamed Belhaj, 48, was shot dead on his way to work.
The shooter then visited the Toronto Zoo and the Canada Wonderland amusement park in Ontario between the second and third killings, the hearing was told.
Back in Montreal, on August 3, 2022, he allegedly fired several times in the direction of Alex Lévis-Crevier, 22 years old. The young man was traveling on a skateboard in Laval before being shot.
The alleged shooter rents a room at the Pierre Motel, where he hides. When the tactical intervention group (GTI) burst in, an exchange of gunfire occurred between the suspect and the authorities. Abdulla Shaikh is shot dead. “No charges will be brought against the police,” Mélissa-Amélie Plourde, coordinator at the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI), told the coroner.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Psychiatric problems
Abdulla Shaikh had been diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2017, explained Alexandra Caron Vadeboncœur, investigator at the Sûreté du Québec SQ, to coroner Géhane Kamel, head of the public inquiry.
He had to receive injections every three months in connection with his psychiatric problems.
The suspect had been living alone for a year at the time of the events. He had no close friends. He remained in regular contact with his mother, according to the police officer. The latter also spoke to him on the phone at the time of the murders and told the police that her son behaved normally during their discussion. “It was a casual conversation. He seemed normal,” said the investigator.
Several witnesses described the suspect and his vehicle – a white Dodge Challenger – to authorities. This is particularly what made it possible to trace the 26-year-old man, then hidden in the Pierre Motel after his escape.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Abdulla Shaikh’s mental health problems were known to authorities. He had been arrested for obstructing peace officers and had a pending case of sexual assault.
“He didn’t have many convictions, but a very eloquent track record,” said Donald Simpson, retired SPVM police officer, in his testimony Monday.
Few details have been released at this time regarding the provenance of the firearm used in the three murders. The police seized a magazine capable of holding 30 bullets as well as a 9 caliber pistol without a serial number. “We know that it was obtained illegally,” explained investigator Caron Vadeboncœur.