Police carried out a series of arrests and searches Wednesday morning in connection with a brazen triple homicide last August in Montreal’s northeastern end.
Two arrests were made in Montreal North and two others in the Chomedey district of Laval, in a joint operation by the Montreal and Laval police forces.
Clifford Domercant-Barosy, 26, and Marlon Francisco Villa-Guzman, 25, face first-degree murder charges in connection with the Aug. 2 shooting.
Three men died and two others were injured when they were shot at while inside an apartment building in Rivière-des-Prairies.
Domercant-Barosy and Villa-Guzman are also facing charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm.
A third suspect, a 23-year-old man, has yet to be formally charged. He is expected in court by tomorrow, police said in a news release.
A 25-year-old woman arrested during the police operation has been released on a promise to appear in court at a later date. Police said she is not directly linked to the triple homicide.
At the time, investigators called it an “unprecedented” shooting, which prompted concern from local and provincial officials.
Since the killings, there have been a series of high-profile shootings in the greater Montreal area involving organized criminals and street gangs. In response, the province has announced new police units to combat gun trafficking and gun violence.
Montreal police said in a statement Wednesday that “many efforts have been made” by the force in recent weeks to advance the investigation.
Wednesday’s searches allowed officers to seize two handguns, ammunition, narcotics and other evidence.
The investigation, however, is ongoing.
Police said they are still trying to identify other individuals who were involved in the shooting.
Anyone with information is being asked to call 911 or the anonymous Info-Crime line at 514 393-1133.
—with files from Global News’ Alessia Simona Maratta and The Canadian Press