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The man was suspected in three deadly shootings in Montreal and Laval this week.
Article author:
Paul Cherry • Montreal Gazette
Publication date:
Aug 04, 2022 • 1 minute ago • 4 minutes read • 6 comments Victim’s car under surveillance near shooting scene. Police shoot dead man suspected of triple murder. Photo by Alan McInnis/Montreal Gazette
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A suspect in three murders in less than 24 hours in Montreal and Laval was shot by police in a motel parking lot, Montreal police said Thursday morning.
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The bomb development is the latest chapter in a story that has led some police observers to speculate whether a serial killer is on the loose in the Montreal area.
Montreal police did not provide details about the shooting Thursday morning, other than to say it happened at a motel in the Saint-Laurent neighborhood. Any further questions were referred to Quebec’s Office of Independent Investigations (BEI), which is tasked with investigating any police operation in Quebec that results in death or serious injury.
Darrell Holmes, a St. Laurent resident who lives near the Pierre Motel, said he decided to take an Uber to work Wednesday night because he feared for his life after hearing media reports that the victims had been shot at random. principle, including Andre Lemieux, who was photographed in Saint Laurent.
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“I’m always up to date with what’s happening in the news and the fact that it was happening at Saint-Laurent… You worry about these things. I was very concerned. I wasn’t going to stand at a bus stop at night with what was going on.
Holmes said he wasn’t surprised to learn where the suspect was shot.
“If you live in Saint-Laurent, you know that Motel Pierre is not the best place in the world,” he said. “You only go there if it’s for something shady.”
“I wasn’t surprised, not a bit shocked. I was disappointed because Saint Laurent is known as a safe place to live. But now I’m getting worried. I think it might be time to move,” Holmes said. “It’s not safe anymore.”
Police secure the scene after a man suspected of triple murder was shot by police in Montreal, Aug. 4, 2022. Photo by Alan McInnis/Montreal Gazette
A man who works at a car wash near the Pierre Motel said he wasn’t surprised to learn a homicide suspect had been shot there.
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“It’s a really dumb area,” the man said, asking that his name not be published. “Something bad often happens at this motel. They took a body out of it months ago.
Abdel Meft, another Saint Laurent resident who lives near the motel, said he was surprised when he woke up to learn what had happened just 400 meters from his home.
“Gun murders are on the rise. It gets really frustrating,” Meft said. “If it really was random, just for fun, then I don’t see how we can walk around town and feel safe.” This motel is really old and has a bad reputation.
Three cars parked in a lot that is part of a strip mall next to the motel were cordoned off with police tape Thursday morning. Police appeared to be paying particular attention to a white Dodge Challenger with Quebec plates.
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According to a statement released Thursday morning by BEI, a Montreal police SWAT team executed a warrant at a motel on Boulevard Marcel-Laurin. at 7 am on Thursday. The operation was launched in connection with the three murders committed in the last 24 hours in Montreal and Laval.
BEI said officers at the scene were confronted by a gunman, shots were fired and the suspect was struck by at least one bullet. The 26-year-old suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
A parallel investigation into the shooting has been launched by the Sûreté du Québec, which will also provide technical support to the BEI.
While the details of what led police to the suspect at the motel have not yet been made public, the revelation of a growing number of connections between the three murders — all of the victims were on the street at night, alone and shot at close range — as well as the apparent The randomness of the attacks suggested to some police observers that they might be dealing with a possible serial killer.
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Once again, our police have demonstrated their efficiency and dedication to the safety of Montrealers.
Thanks to @SPVM and our partners at @policelaval and @sureteduquebec, the last 48 hours have been difficult for everyone. #polmtl
— Valérie Plante (@Val_Plante) August 4, 2022
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante took to social media Thursday morning to thank the police force involved in the investigations, saying, “Once again, our police have shown their efficiency and dedication to the safety of Montrealers.”
Plante also offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
At 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Laval police responding to a shots fired call found a man in his 20s shot to death on Clermont St. in the city’s Laval des Rapides neighborhood. The killing followed the fatal shooting a day earlier of two men in Montreal.
The first of Tuesday night’s shootings was reported around 9:45 p.m. at Jules-Poitras and Deguire avenues. near Roman-Zytinsky Park in Saint Laurent. Officers found the body of a 64-year-old man who had been shot at least once in the upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim is Andre Lemieux, father of local professional boxer Dave Lemieux.
The second victim was Mohamed Salah Belhaj, 48, who was killed a few kilometers northeast of the first shooting, at an intersection in the Akhundjik neighborhood around 10:50 p.m. He was also shot at least once in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
This story will be updated.
A man suspected of killing three people was shot dead by police in Montreal on August 4, 2022. Photo by Alan McInnis/Montreal Gazette
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