The murder of a 19-year-old young woman shocked and alarmed residents of the Maizerets district, while violence has increased since the summer.
• Also read: Quebec: a second murder in three days
This violent death is not only the sixth murder this year in Quebec, but also the fourth since August in Limoilou.
More specifically, three of them occurred in the Maizerets district.
“It’s really shocking. Under these circumstances, it is human to worry,” sighs Karim Lioui, who lives just a few steps away from the scene of Thursday’s tragedy.
“Lately I feel like I’m in danger in our neighborhood. […] I have installed two surveillance cameras with alarm systems and we take the time to lock our doors,” commented another citizen, Mohamed Gabbouj.
The mayor comments
Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand sent his best thoughts to the families of the victims of this “tragedy that should not have happened.” He has members of the affected family close to him. He praised the police’s work and said he was waiting for the outcome of the investigation “to see what we can do.”
For his part, opposition leader Claude Villeneuve says that the police chief must address the population to calm people down. “You need to explain to us what’s going on? What phenomenon connects these elements or not? If the events were related, “we could come to the conclusion that a more muscular intervention is needed.”
“It touches the spirit”
Maizerets Neighborhood Council Vice President Martial Van Neste said he spoke on his personal behalf and also acknowledged that the events were “worrying” and that it was “relevant to ask questions.”
At the same time, he urges us “not to jump to conclusions.” He regrets “the negative impact this can have on the perception of our neighborhood.”
“It strikes me, it’s not trivial,” he explains, emphasizing: “We have no reason to believe that the neighborhood is degenerating.” [en] a dangerous place.
The reassuring police
For their part, the Quebec police want to reassure.
“The murders in Quebec remain isolated events. But we take the files very seriously,” says spokeswoman Marie-Pier Rivard.
The average number of murders per year in the old capital over the past decade has been four, according to a Journal count. This was particularly the case last year.
— In collaboration with Stéphanie Martin
There have already been six murders this year
October 26, 2023: Quebec police discover the body of a 19-year-old young woman killed in a residence on Rue Geneviève-Lamarre in the Maizerets district.
October 23, 2023: Alain Charbonneau, a 50-year-old man well known in police circles, was found lifeless in a house on Proulx Avenue in Vanier. He was reportedly violently attacked by suspects and forced entry. Elliot Kamoun, 27, is charged with second-degree murder.
September 9, 2023: Alexandre Drolet, a forty-year-old, was allegedly killed with a knife in an apartment in Vieux-Limoilou at the corner of 2nd Street and 4th Avenue. Liliane Hubert, 63, was charged with second-degree murder.
August 23, 2023: Keven Plante-Ménard, 25, was found unconscious by patrol officers in his apartment on Avenue du Mont-Thabor in Maizerets. He was reportedly shot in the chest.
August 22, 2023: Ali Bolduc Chouaïby, 23, was allegedly fatally stabbed on the Chemin de la Canardière. Keven Labrie-Dubé, 33, is charged with second-degree murder in the case.
April 22, 2023: The remains of Gilles Gosselin, a 54-year-old hiker, were found in the marina of Saint-Roch with signs of violence. Nathan Fréchette, 18, and Zachary Jenkins-Verret, 22, were arrested in Longueuil and charged with first-degree murder. They are also suspected of the attempted murder of another homeless man.