SQ sets up command post, invites witnesses to come forward with info on fatal Laval drive-by shooting

Quebec provincial police have set up a command post outside a Laval plaza parking lot near the site of a drive-by shooting earlier this month that killed a man and seriously injured a teenager.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) took over the case from Laval police as the investigation has uncovered the May 8 shooting may have links to organized crime.

The SQ command post is set up at the IGA parking lot at 2137 Curé-Labelle Boul. in Laval. 

Around 1 a.m. on May 8, a gunman fired multiple shots into a car driven by Junior Lemoyne Printemps, 28, who was driving with relatives visiting from the Boston area for a family celebration. His out-of-town nephew, 14-year-old Sandrick Jorcelin, received a bullet to the torso, damaging several organs and leaving him unable to walk as the bullet couldn't be removed near his spinal cord.

Lt. Benoit Richard, an SQ spokesperson, said Wednesday one hypothesis being considered by investigators is that Printemps was not the intended target of the shooting. 

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and speak to investigators as they try to find the people responsible. People can also call the SQ's info-line at 1-800-659-4264.

Last Thursday, Jorcelin was airlifted from Montreal to a hospital in Boston to continue receiving treatment for his injuries.

Junior Lemoyne Printemps, right, with his 14-year-old nephew, Sandrick Jorcelin. Printemps, 28, was killed in a drive-by shooting in the early morning hours on Sunday, May 8, 2022 leaving a family birthday party in Laval. Jorcelin survived the gunfire but was seriously injured. (Submitted photo)

His father, Ricardo Jorcelin, said his son was in pain and had a fever in the past couple of days and had to undergo another abdominal procedure, which went well.

"He has been up and down emotionally. We all have been but we, his parents, are here to support him in every way," wrote the teen's father in an online post on Tuesday. "He expressed that he is determined to walk again. As his dad, I am proud to say, 'That's my son.'"