Bang, bang bang bang! Dawn was breaking Friday when residents of a small residential street in Vieux-Longueuil woke up with a start. Were those gunshots? Yes, they understood when the police made them evacuate. And more than 12 hours later, several of them still could not return to their homes.
A whole police operation was deployed on rue Daniel, in Longueuil, on Friday morning. Calls to 911 were made around 6 a.m. to report gunshots in this small residential street housing a daycare center, between rue Leblanc Ouest and chemin du Coteau-Rouge.
“I heard four shots, I looked out my window and I saw a man dressed in black, with a hood, running towards a parked vehicle”, says Sébastien, met on the spot at the beginning of the evening. “The car fled east, and a white vehicle followed, at full speed. »
Another man would also have fled on foot, adds Sébastien, installed in his own vehicle with his 4-year-old daughter at the edge of the vast security perimeter established by the Longueuil agglomeration police service (SPAL).
“We’re lucky there wasn’t anything more dramatic,” adds his wife, Sabrina.
Indeed, no one was injured in this exchange of fire, said François Boucher, spokesperson for SPAL. Quickly, in the morning, two men in their thirties were arrested by the police.
Following their meeting with investigators and depending on the evidence found at the scene, they could face charges.
Firearm projectile casings were found at the scene. The scene was still protected in the early evening, La Presse was able to see. “She went through a fine-tooth comb to retrieve evidence, and because there would potentially be other individuals involved,” Boucher explained.
While the investigators are busy in the field, the residents are starting to find the time long.
“That’s what’s hardest to live with: we have no idea when we’ll be able to come back,” says Kouman, who is waiting outside with her four children aged 2 to 17.
We met him around 7:00 p.m. in a small parking lot at the corner of rue Daniel and chemin du Coteau-Rouge. It had already been more than 12 hours since the emergency evacuation, around 6:30 a.m. Friday morning. Kouman was able to drive and then pick up her children from school. His wife stayed in the house.
This parking lot has become a place of gathering and waiting. A Réseau de transport de Longueuil bus was mobilized to provide shelter, along with Red Cross personnel. Other residents wait in their vehicle in the hope of getting information.
Here and there, small groups of neighbors hold meetings. A little further, children, idle, play on the asphalt, while the sun goes down.
“I was all alone with my two young children, 5 and 2 years old, says a neighbor who preferred not to mention her name. I was woken up by the police. As it was necessary to evacuate, I did not bring anything. I’m still in my pajamas,” she adds, pointing to her pants. “And the dog is home!” »
Many have left essential items – like their medications – behind, Sabrina also notes.
The house where the gunfire allegedly took place raised suspicion in the neighborhood, several neighbors said. “Everyone saw big luxury cars in front of this house,” says Sébastien. “Cars that are easily worth $350,000. »
“There are types of cars that suggest you’re dealing with people…but those are jumping to conclusions,” Kouman also said.
“Those are big cars. With this, I could finish paying my mortgage! exclaimed another neighbor, who lives nearby.
One thing is certain, the event shakes. “Me, it scares me, because I came here with my family for peace,” laments a neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous.
Sébastien is not worried, because it is the first event of its kind in the neighborhood. “But if tomorrow morning it happens [again], I’m not going to feel safe,” he said.
“You don’t expect something like this to happen,” said another resident. But it can happen anywhere. It fell on our street. »
