One dead when Montréal residents woke up again by gunfire

Calls to 911 around 4:15 a.m. Saturday morning reported that shots had been fired on rue de Sève, near the intersection with rue Drake, in the Le Sud-Ouest district.

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A 19-year-old man died of gunshot wounds on what Montreal police say is the 22^{North Dakota} homicide will occur in Montreal this year.

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Police were informed around 4:30 a.m. Saturday that the man had checked into an unidentified hospital, police department spokeswoman Caroline Chèvrefils said. The car that took him there had gunshot marks.

An investigation is under way into the circumstances of the man’s death. Police have already interviewed three of the victim’s friends, who were with him when he went to the hospital.

Investigators cannot confirm at this time that his death is related to a shooting that took place at the corner of De Sève and Drake Sts., In the Sud-Ouest district. Calls were made to 911 around 4:15 a.m. to report the shots.

Although police found cartridges on the ground, no victims or suspects have been located, Chèvrefils said. The scene was protected for both investigators and forensic identity technicians so they could analyze it and try to understand the exact circumstances, he said.

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The incidents come hours after the announcement of the creation of the new Centaure squad to fight firearms trafficking in Quebec.

Gun violence is most visible throughout the province, particularly in eastern Montreal. The number of assassination attempts committed with a firearm quadrupled in the metropolis in 2020 compared to 2016.

Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced on Friday that Quebec will spend $ 90 million to hire about 100 police officers and experts to combat gun violence.

Operation Centaure is supported by various police forces, including the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Quebec Inuit and First Nations Police Directors Association, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of Gendarmerie (RCMP) as well as National Security in the United States.