A 33-year-old man died in a hospital Thursday morning after he was targeted by gunfire while in his car on Palardy St. in Laval’s Auteuil district.
The homicide appears to be linked to organized crime.
Laval police said the incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. and the street, located in a residential neighbourhood, was blocked off as investigators examined the scene. There were no immediate reports of any other injuries or arrests.
Residents who live on or near the crescent-shaped street where the shooting took place told reporters it appeared the victim’s vehicle rolled into the garage door of the house where the shooting took place.
The investigation has been turned over to the Sûreté du Québec, an indication the homicide is related to organized crime.
The victim has no criminal record in Quebec and appears to have been a former resident of the St-Laurent borough.
According to both La Presse and the Journal de Montréal, the victim has ties to a street gang based in western Montreal called the Rolling 90s. The gang has clashed in the past with Arab Power, which is well known to police because its members have been tied to several recent acts of violence, including homicides in Montreal, Laval and provincial jails.
On Wednesday, Youssef Tarek Baydoun, 30, a member of Arab Power, was killed at the Donnacona Institution, a federal penitentiary near Quebec City. In a release, Correctional Service Canada said Baydoun’s next of kin have been notified and that the homicide is under investigation.
Last year, Baydoun was found guilty of the first-degree murder of Nitchell Lapaix, who had ties to a Montreal street gang leader. Lapaix was killed in Laval on Aug. 16, 2021.
Sylvain Kabbouchi, another member of Arab Power, was also convicted of murdering Lapaix. Kabbouchi was killed inside Donnacona last year.
Also last year, Marckens Vilme, a member of the Rolling 90s, was stabbed several times inside the Atlantic Institution, a maximum security penitentiary in Renous, N.B. The stabbing took place on the same day that Charalambos (Bobby the Greek) Theologou was killed in Laval on Oct. 1.
Vilme survived the attack. He is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Hells Angel in Ontario. Vilme used to be a member of the Ruffriders, a gang that was based in the West Island.