The driver of a pickup truck intentionally targeted a group of pedestrians in Amqui, Quebec on Monday afternoon and selected his victims at random, according to police.
Steeve Gagnon, a 38-year-old Amqui resident, has been identified as the driver and has been arrested. Two people, Gérald Charest and Jean Lafrenière, died in the attack and nine others were injured. Three of the survivors are in critical condition.
Witnesses reported that the pickup truck accelerated down the sidewalk outside the Captive microbrewery on Saint-Benoît Boulevard. The driver has cooperated with investigators, who believe the incident was planned and carried out deliberately.
The Bas-Saint-Laurent Integrated Health and Social Services Center has deployed 10 workers to help the relatives of the victims. Witnesses reported that the driver targeted people at random, and the victims included a baby and a toddler.
The baby and toddler are in stable condition, while three adults remain in critical condition. One victim is under observation at the Amqui hospital. The town has organized a mass on Friday evening to commemorate the victims.
Daniel Thériault, a resident of Amqui who is a paramedic with 27 years of experience, knew the two men who were killed in the crash.
Thériault invited the town to take part in the mass at the Saint-Benoît-Joseph-Labre Church in Amqui on Friday at 7 p.m. to commemorate the victims. Church bells will ring each day at 3:10 p.m., the time at which pedestrians were struck.
The Sûreté de Québec says major crimes units across the province have sent several dozen police officers to investigate the incident.
»Canadian driver intentionally drives his truck into crowd, turns himself in afterwards«
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