Police officers investigate the scene of a fatal hit and run on March 14, 2023 in Amqui Quebec.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press
Two people are dead and nine are injured after a pickup truck drove into pedestrians along a downtown road in Amqui, Que., on Monday.
The driver, a 38-year-old man who lives in the region, turned himself in to provincial police and was arrested on suspicion of committing a fatal hit and run. Media reports say authorities have identified the driver as Steeve Gagnon.
Claude Doiron, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec, the provincial police force, said investigators are still trying to determine whether the driver was acting deliberately. He said the charges against the driver could change in light of new information.
Another spokeswoman for the police, Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre, said late Monday evening the accused was facing murder charges in connection with the deaths.
“For now, the investigation tends to show that the collision was a voluntary act committed by the suspect,” St-Pierre said late Monday evening.
Mr. Dorion said the police investigation suggests the driver swerved from one side of the road to the other over a “certain distance” to hit victims who were chosen at random and who range in age from less than one year to 77.
Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73, were killed during the alleged attack.
The injured include two children – one who is less than one year old and another who is about three – who were both seriously hurt but whose lives are not in danger.
Alain Gilbert, a trucker who witnessed the aftermath while driving nearby, described seeing victims spread over a distance of hundreds of metres in the town, which is located about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.
A spokesperson for the regional health board confirmed a Code Orange had been declared at the Amqui hospital. This normally indicates a disaster situation, or one with a high number of casualties.
The collisions took place around 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon. The 38-year-old, whom police consider the only suspect, drove himself to a provincial police station.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier François Legault extended their sympathies to residents in Twitter posts on Monday.
“My heart is with the people of Amqui, Quebec today,” Mr. Trudeau wrote. “As we learn more about the tragic events that have taken place, I’m keeping everyone affected in my thoughts. And to the first responders: Thank you for acting quickly, courageously, and professionally.”
Pascal Bérubé, the Member of the National Assembly for the region, said on Twitter that the population would need “comfort and support.”
“This quiet community is shaken by this tragedy,” he wrote.
With a report from The Canadian Press