1 dead, 2 injured in Laval shooting at Starbucks off Highway 440; reported link to organized crime

Police say a man in his 40s is dead and two others were injured in a shooting in a parking lot of a commercial building off Highway 440 in Laval, near a Starbucks coffee shop on Wednesday morning.

Authorities believe organized crime was behind the shooting, according to Quebec’s public security minister, though the Sûreté du Québec — which has taken over the investigation — did not confirm that information.

“It depends on the level of the police, of the investigation,” said SQ spokesperson Laurie Avoine. “So right now, because it could be possibly linked to organized crime, the Sûreté du Québec is now taking the lead.”

Charalambos Theologou, 40, the alleged leader of a highly influential organized crime group in Laval, may have been the target of the shooting. Police have not identified the deceased or the other two victims, but a spokesperson said all three were “possibly” connected to each other.

Quebec Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said “there were no innocent victims.”

The SQ was not able to confirm that information to reporters, either.

“An innocent victim is someone who is there getting a coffee, who has absolutely no link to criminal activity who could have been injured,” Lafrenière explained, adding he was citing preliminary information. “So I’m reassured by that, but I’m not happy; a crime happened in the middle of the day, in an area full of people.”

He added: “I’m not happy to know that a crime is happening in broad daylight in a place that is crowded with people. It looks like the signature of organized crime.”

SQ spokesperson Laurie Avoine said there have been no arrests, and police are looking for one or many suspects. “Right now the place is secure, but we’re asking people to avoid the are,” Avoine added.

“It’s almost unheard of,” said Sainte-Rose, Laval, MNA Christopher Skeete. “We’ve never had a surge like this. I’m worried.”

Laurent Arsenault, with the Service de police de Laval (SPL), says they received multiple 911 calls around 10:35 a.m. about the shooting.

A large perimeter was set up around the area, which includes the Starbucks coffee shop, a medical eye clinic, and restaurants.

Police are asking the public to stay away from the area.

Eyewitness Marion Bauer, who works at a nearby building, described a “chaotic” scene involving an elevated police presence.

“People running, people trying to leave, but also not able to go anywhere. So it seemed a little complicated,” Bauer told CityNews. “(Officers) were stopping all the traffic and all the roads. These officers kind of rushing back and forth. They were checking cars and the bushes nearby.”

Another eyewitness said they had been stuck in the area for hours.

“When I let the police go through, they wouldn’t let me go through anymore, because they told me it wasn’t possible… I’ve been here for 10 hours,” the person said.

Retired Montreal police officer and mafia expert Pietro Poletti said the incident reflects a disturbing trend.

“Obviously somebody drives around with a bulletproof truck with three bodyguards is not delivering food baskets to the poor,” Poletti said. “So I think it’s an awakening. It’s out of control.”

He added: “They’re very young individuals that have access to guns and on broad daylight at 10:30 in the morning in a shopping center, shooting with a machine gun, something’s wrong with our society.”

Lafrenière says Quebec authorities are working hard to crack down on organized crime in the province.