Another woman has been killed in Montreal’s St-Micheal neighborhood, while a seriously injured man is being considered a suspect, just 48 hours after a separate spousal murder in the city on Saturday.
Montreal Police (SPVM) was called to a residence on 39e Street, near the intersection of Paul-Corbeil Street around 2:25 p.m.
Once on the scene, they found a woman in her 40s and a man in his 30s, both seriously injured by what appeared to be a sharp object.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was taken to a hospital, where his life was still in danger Monday evening.
On Tuesday morning, the man in question was still in the hospital, where his condition was considered “serious” by medical authorities. Police confirmed that the victim and suspect were in a relationship.
“I saw a woman running with a child under her arm; she rang my doorbell and said, ‘there’s a fight on, there’s a fight on, he’s going to kill her’,” said Frankel Jean, neighbour.
Neighbours say that the woman with the baby in her arms was the victim’s roommate.
Mouloud Moussouni, who lives across the street, saw three children standing outside the victim’s apartment.
“I took the children upstairs because in my mind, first I think it’s the door, it’s closed,” said Moussouni. “So I went to open it and the little boy said to me, ‘you have the blood, blood, blood.’ so I saw the blood on the door and they said to me, my father killed my mother. So I immediately took him and the two children downstairs and I called the police.”
The children stayed in Jean’s apartment across the street for hours with police officers while the crime scene was secured and evidence was gathered.
“The children didn’t know much, and they were playing with my grandson,” said Jean.
A security perimeter was established at the scene, and the Montreal Police (SPVM) was conducting an analysis.
This is the 16th homicide on Montreal police territory.
Frédérique, a counselor at la méridienne, who preferred to use only her first name for confidentiality concerns, says that half of women who seek help for intimate partner violence are turned away.
“We don’t have the space that’s simply it,” said Frédérique. “We don’t have the space to get more women to shelter. So we need more space in the shelter.”
She added that victims of intimate partner violence tend to isolate themselves and break up’s can be a risky moment for femicide.
“If they can, as much as possible, be there for the victim, stay close to them,” said Frédérique. “Not be judgmental about the relationship and what’s happening, and call the shelters, call SOS violence conjugale to ask for help.”
Moussouni wishes help could have arrived faster to save the woman’s life.
“The police asked me, why did you stop [to help the children]? I said it was my animal instinct,” said Moussouni. “I tried to do my best. I am sorry that I couldn’t save this lady, but I saved the children.”
—With files from The Canadian Press, first published in French and translated by CityNews
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