Provincial police in Quebec say they are investigating the homicide of a 30-year-old man who was shot dead in Laval Saturday night, a year after he was acquitted for the murder of an organized crime member.
Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers say Laval police responded to a 911 call at 11:30 p.m. regarding an armed assault outside a celebration at a reception hall in a commercial building on Boulevard Saint-Martin East.
The events venue is located in Laval’s Duvernay area on the eastern part of the island off Montreal’s north shore, across from Ahuntsic-Cartierville and Montreal North.
SQ officer Catherine Bernard confirmed to Global News that the victim was Marc Issa El-Khoury and was known to police. Emergency services tried life-saving measures at the scene but he was pronounced dead on site.
A year ago, Khoury was found not guilty in the 2019 murder of a Hell’s Angels member in Mississauga, Ont.
The investigation into Khoury’s shooting was transferred to provincial police due to its ties to organized crime. Bernard said the SQ will work on the investigation with Laval police.
Authorities say they are also looking into a vehicle that was found on fire at around 1 a.m. in Montreal to determine if it was linked to the crime.
A command post was set up Sunday and police are asking that anyone with any information concerning the incident call the confidential Sûreté du Québec line at 1-800- 659-4264.
–with files from The Canadian Press