Man charged with first-degree murder after deadly Little Italy shooting in February
![Little Italy shooting A 28-year-old man was fatally shot in Montreal's Little Italy neighbourhood on Feb. 17, 2024. (CTV News / Matt Gilmour)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/2/17/little-italy-shooting-1-6773338-1708187810867.jpeg)
A suspect has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with a deadly drive-by shooting five months ago in Montreal's Little Italy neighbourhood.
Nestor Miguel Pintos Chew, a 35-year-old Brossard resident, is accused of killing Jean Brandon Celestin, the brother of reputed gang leader Jean-Philippe Célestin.
The 28-year-old victim was shot multiple times after leaving a restaurant on Bellechase Street shortly after midnight on Feb. 17. Officers who were called to the shooting tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Several shell casings were found nearby.
His death marked Montreal's sixth homicide of the year.
Montreal police said in a news release issued Wednesday that the accused was arrested on April 11 by Major Crime investigators on a charge of discharging a firearm a day earlier. He has remained in custody since then.
In an interview with CTV News after the killing, La Presse's organized crime reporter, Daniel Renaud, said Celestin was a major player in downtown Montreal's drug trade and that the victim and his brother served as "right-hands" to organized crime kingpin Gregory Woolley, who was fatally shot last November.
Police said Wednesday that their investigation into the Feb. 17 killing is ongoing, and no further details would be released.
Anyone with information about the case can contact 911 or their local police station. People can also contact Info-Crime Montréal anonymously at 514-393-1133 or by visiting infocrimemontreal.ca.
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