Neighbourhood hit by another spat of gun violence
Parc-Extension was host to another occurrence of gun violence over the weekend when shots were fired into the window of a local business on the corner of Champagneur Ave. and Jean-Talon Street.
Police were contacted at around midnight on Sunday morning with 911 reports of shots fired on Parc-Extension’s busiest commercial artery.
Police found bullet holes in the window of a closed restaurant along with several shell casings in the street. “There were several,” said Véronique Comtois, a spokesperson for the SPVM. No one was injured in the shooting the SPVM clarified.
A security perimeter was put in place and a canine unit was brought in to search for evidence of who may be behind the shooting. The investigation is still being conducted and police indicate they have made no arrests as of yet.
The business that was caught up in the crossfire does not seem to be associated with the violence at this time. Police say they currently have no reason to believe the business was being targeted.
“The federal government needs to do its part,”
Other events across the city
The event in Parc-Extension was quickly followed by another shooting later that night in the neighbourhood of Saint-Michel. At around 4:30 AM, police were called to another 911 call of a shooting.
Police responded to the call at the corner of Crémazie boulevard and 14th Ave where they found “two vehicles parked on 14th Avenue with projectile impacts,” said agent Caroline Chèvrefils, spokesperson for the SPVM.
Another event also took place later that day when police reported what seemed to be an attempted murder in a strip mall in Ahuntsic-Cartierville. It occurred on Salaberry Street at around 6:30 PM when a 32-year-old man was shot inside a parked vehicle.
Police say that a conflict occurred inside the vehicle between the victim and other individuals before he was shot a fled for safety in a nearby store. The victim is known to the police.
The SPVM did not indicate whether these shootings were related but is currently investigating. All crime scenes have since been opened back up to the public.
A spat of gun violence
Montreal has seen a massive spike in gun violence over the last year with much of it spilling over into the streets. Police and politicians alike have attributed this rise to various street gangs settling scores with illegal firearms and especially handguns.
The past weekend’s shootings came a few weeks after Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante urged the federal government and all parties vying for power in the upcoming election to make responding to rising gun violence a top priority.
“The federal government needs to do its part,” said Plante during a news conference in late August, asking the federal government to ban handguns and crackdown on violent offenders.
“The city is entirely behind our police officers to continue their investigations and stop this phenomenon,” said Mayor Plante responding to the news of the shootings last weekend.
“When you don’t have the respect for authority, this is what happens,” said mayoral candidate Denis Coderre during a press conference, adding that “we need to ensure we have a true security policy.”
