Gunshots, fires, attempted murders: the violent events that have occurred repeatedly in recent months have kept the population of Sept-Îles in suspense while the war for control of the territory for the sale of narcotics continues to rage on the Côte- North.
“The other day, I met a lady who told me that she no longer wanted to leave her house in the evening. People are afraid of stray bullets! […] I never thought I would experience a crisis like this in my lifetime,” laments the mayor of Sept-Îles, Denis Miousse, recalling that residents’ homes have been the targets of gunshots by mistake for a year.
The mayor of Sept-Îles Denis Miousse is concerned about the increase in violence on the North Shore.
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He wants these actions of extraordinary violence to stop and he affirms that he has the necessary support from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
“When this madness started, in February, we asked for more patrollers and it was done. There is also the mixed regional team which works very hard. I am told that as long as the problem persists, there will be staff available.”
Six arrests
The episodes of violence culminated on October 16, when a 26-year-old man died in a fire in the Moisie sector, in Sept-Îles.
In the middle of the morning, around 10:30 a.m., a violent fire ravaged a residence on rue de l’Îlot-Vollant. The body of Jimmy Maltais, 26, from Sept-Îles, was discovered in the rubble.
Jimmy Maltais, 26, lost his life in the fire at this residence on rue de l’Îlot-Vollant, in Sept-Îles.
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A few hours after the blaze was extinguished, the SQ arrested five suspects.
Lucas Bérubé, 19, and Malory Fortin, 20, from Sept-Îles, Anthony Roy, 34, and Dereck Lemay, 29, from Quebec, as well as Raphaël Bérubé, 24, from Shawinigan, are all facing charges. arson charges.
Then, two days later, a sixth person was arrested in this case. Jonathan Gendron, 31, of Baie-Comeau, faces a single count of forcible confinement in connection with this story.
Aside from Malory Fortin, who was released with a myriad of conditions to be respected, the five suspects remained detained pending their release investigation scheduled for November 11, at the Sept-Îles courthouse.
On October 16, a residence in the Moisie sector of Sept-Îles was set on fire and a man was found dead inside. Six people were arrested in connection with this case.
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The prosecutor on file, Mr.e Marc Bérubé, told TVA Nouvelles that new charges could be filed depending on the result of the autopsy conducted on Maltais’ body.
Boivin and Turmel at the helm
Spokesman Hugues Beaulieu of the Sûreté du Québec has been insisting for several weeks that it is cells supported by two of the most wanted men in Quebec, All Boivin and Dave “Pic” Turmel, who are at the origin of this wave of violent crimes on the North Shore.
In interview with The Journal Tuesday, Sergeant Beaulieu explained that “events that occurred in recent weeks on the North Shore and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean” had pushed the provincial police force to put more pressure on Boivin by revealing the identity of his companion on the run, Yaulise Lemieux-Bellavance.
Photos provided by the SQ
However, it was not possible to know whether the spokesperson was referring to the fatal fire in Sept-Îles.
