Police are investigating after a 24-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds in Riviere des Prairies Friday night.
Around 8:45 p.m. police say they received numerous 9-1-1 calls about shots fired in the area around Maurice Duplessis Blvd. and Alexis Carrel Ave.
When they arrived at the scene they discovered the young man lying on the ground in front of a house, near the sidewalk, on Maurice Duplessis. He was brought to hospital in critical condition, where he died soon after.
A weapon was found at the scene.
There are no suspects at this time.
Police say the victim is linked to organized crime.
“The victim is known to police and from what the investigators said to me, it’s related to organized crime,” said Montreal police spokesperson Manuel Couture, who would not provide the name of the victim.
One woman described a chaotic scene after the shooting.
"I come out and I see the police, and I see many, many people," she said.
The man had run-ins with the law, and was the target of an attempted murder two years ago.
“In 2011 he was arrested. In 2013 he was targeted by gunshots too, he was wounded on his upper body. He got to the hospital by himself and we didn’t arrest anybody,” said Couture.
Neighbours recalled that incident.
"Two years ago I was home alone. I heard three gunshots. I looked outside and he was in his car and apparently he got shot in the arm," said one neighbour.
Police are meeting with witnesses and hoping to find surveillance footage that will help in their investigation. They will also perform a ballistic analysis.
“The main thing is that we have to arrest someone, but because it’s related to organized crime, we have to figure out why it happened, why he was targeted,” said Couture.
This is the 20th homicide of the year in Montreal. At this time last year, there were 19 homicides.
