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Police have identified the victim of Wednesday’s murder as Bernard Scherfan, 42, with some links to the killer, Frederic Silva.
Author of the article:
Jesse Faith, Montreal Gazette
Two SQ officers are investigating the interior of La Perle Vietnamienne restaurant in the Vimont district of Laval on Thursday, June 2, 2022, after a man linked to organized crime was shot and killed there the night before. Photo by Dave Sidway / Montreal Gazette
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The Laval police chief promised on Thursday that there would be quick consequences for members of organized crime after a man was fatally shot in the middle of a full restaurant in the city.
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Laval police chief Pierre Brochet made the comments at a conference on Thursday, a day after the brazen murder took place in front of about 20 people, including several children.
“I spoke to my colleagues from different police forces,” Brochet said, after saying he wanted to address members of organized crime directly, “and we are all unanimous: this type of behavior is unacceptable and unacceptable and will have consequences in the coming days. . ”
Police have identified the victim as Bernard Cerfan, 42, with some links to organized crime.
According to police, one or more suspects entered the La Perle Vietnamienne restaurant in the Vimont district around 7:30 p.m. Cerfan was shot at least once and confirmed dead in hospital.
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Traces of the shooting were still visible in the restaurant Thursday morning as police continued to gather evidence.
A large pool of blood had accumulated on the floor, and plates and utensils were covered in blood on a nearby table. There were half-eaten dishes in the room and glasses were broken on the floor.
Curious residents gathered in the parking lot, with many expressing shock and concern about the level of violence that occurred in what they described as a popular, family-friendly restaurant.
Rima Musa, 29, lives around the corner from the restaurant. She had just put her children to sleep on Wednesday night when she noticed the blue and red light from the police cruisers through her front windows.
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Musa did not know what had happened at that moment and was shocked to learn from the news that it was a murder.
“It’s surprising because it’s a really quiet neighborhood. I have two children. They ride a bike outside, we sit here and eat, “she said from her front porch. “I know it’s not going to happen here every day, but you’re still wondering why this man was here, in this restaurant next to your house.”
Cerfan had a criminal record and survived a previous assassination attempt in Laval in 2015. The firearm used in the failed strike was traced to a factory in LaSal, where the owner claims to produce paintball weapons, but actually produces semi-automatic pistols.
Sherfan also had clear links to Frederic Silva, the killer recently convicted of four murders in Laval and Montreal and the attempted murder of Montreal mafia leader Salvatore Scopa.
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During a trial Silva went through last year, it was revealed that Cerfan was believed to have helped Silva go into hiding while he was wanted on suspicion of assassinating Skopje and killing Concordia student Daniel Armando. Somos-Guild.
Skopa was shot dead in front of the Houston restaurant in Terebon on February 21, 2017. Less than three months later, a surveillance camera took pictures of Silva’s meeting with Cerfan. Somoza-Guild was killed 15 days later in front of a strip club in Notre Dame de Grass.
Three other killings by Silva after that were planned, but he shot the Concordia student after a heated argument that broke out at the club.
Cerfan was the second person associated with Silva to be killed in less than a month.
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On May 11, Sebastian Giroud, 36, was fatally shot in Saint-Michel. He was to be convicted two days later after pleading guilty to helping Silva hide from police after the murder of Somoza-Gildea.
In a series of tweets Thursday, Laval Mayor Stefan Boyer called Wednesday’s shooting “pointless and unacceptable” and said he was confident police would get to the bottom of the issue.
Boyer called for continued co-operation between cities and all levels of government to eradicate organized crime. He noted that Laval has already increased its budget for the police to support the force’s intelligence gathering unit.
“In order to fight crime in a serious way, a short-term, medium-term and long-term plan is needed,” the mayor wrote. “There are no simple solutions.”
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Sûreté du Québec is overseeing the investigation into the murder and has set up a command post near the restaurant.
As of Thursday, investigators were still trying to determine whether the shooting was filmed by surveillance cameras and were still unable to give a description of the suspect or suspects.
Police are urging anyone who has information that could contribute to the investigation to contact them.
pcherry@postmedia.com
jfeith@postmedia.com
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