FREDERIC SERRE
The 1510 West
Residents of Louis Riel Street in Dollard des Ormeaux were abruptly awakened by gunfire late Sunday night, as a house was once again the target of a criminal act – making it the second attack on this residence in the past month.
According to Montreal police, several 911 calls were made shortly after midnight on Monday to report shots fired at the front door of a residence on Louis Riel Street near Iberville Street. No injuries were reported, but police confirmed it is the latest violent incident in a series of attacks that have plagued the West Island in the past several months.
Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said a lone suspect was seen by witnesses fleeing on foot after firing several bullets into the front entrance of the house. Officers responded and found several shell casings in the snow. A police K9 unit was also brought in to search for the suspect and officers went door to door to speak with neighbours and retrieve surveillance camera footage.
Louis Riel and Iberville streets were targeted three times last month by criminals, with three parked vehicles set on fire – two on the night of Dec. 1 and the third the next morning.
Dollard is not the only West Island municipality to be targeted. A citizen called 911 at about 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 to report a car on fire in the driveway of a residence on Pendennis Avenue, near Hilary Avenue in Pointe Claire. By the time firefighters reached the scene, the car was engulfed in flames. Damage to the residence was also reported. Investigators also discovered another vehicle parked nearby had been splashed with an accelerant, leading them to believe they were dealing with an arsonist.
Twenty-four hours earlier, police were called to investigate a car fire less than a kilometre away. At about 2:40 a.m. on Dec. 2, firefighters responded to a private residence on Hastings Avenue near Empress Avenue to extinguish a car fire. The vehicle was declared a total loss and the arson squad is investigating.
According to Montreal police, an investigation is continuing into a series of gunfire incidents aimed at various residences on Beaubois Street in Kirkland that have put residents on edge since the summer, with four drive-by shootings since July, as well as arson attacks.