“I am thinking of the victim, but also of the customers and servers who witnessed this. It’s terrible, ”laments Geneviève Dufour, an employee of the Frite So restaurant, which is located just a few steps from the Napoli pizzeria.
Posted at 12:39 p.m.
It is in this last commercial establishment that Diego Fiorita, aged 50, fell under the bullets on Tuesday. It was around 1:30 p.m. and the customer, who is a regular at the restaurant, had just sat down. A puddle of blood was still visible on the floor of the restaurant in the morning, when The Press.
Even if everything indicates that the victim would have been targeted, the event remains anxiety-provoking, believes Mme From the oven. “It was at lunchtime when the restaurants are crowded. It doesn’t look like we’re going to worry about getting shot in Montreal, ”she says in an interview.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
A puddle of blood was still visible on the floor of the Napoli pizzeria in the morning, when The Press.
At the Dei Compari pizzeria, located opposite the restaurant where the tragedy occurred, employees deplore this isolated event. “We don’t want people to stop eating here. It never happens here and it’s worrying. But I’m trying to think of something else this morning”, explains one of the cooks at The Press.
It is not yet known whether the two events, which occurred only about thirty minutes apart, would have a link. One thing is certain: this outbreak of violence by firearms, which does not seem to be fading in the metropolis, continues to stir up the concerns of residents.
A few hours before his death, Diego Fiorita had filmed himself and posted a video on his Facebook page. “I take this opportunity to wish everyone a good day. We start with the morning coffee, it feels good. I love life. So good, so beautiful, so pleasant”, he said then, insisting on the fact that “there is just one to live, so do not miss it”.
Meeting in Quebec
In response to the events, Prime Minister François Legault is to hold a meeting on Wednesday afternoon with the Secretary General of the Government, Yves Ouellet, the Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, and his Deputy Minister Brigitte Pelletier.
“The Prime Minister intends to review the file with his teams. We will not let Montreal turn into the Wild West, ”said press secretary Nadia Talbot briefly on Wednesday, specifying that Mr. Legault will publish a message on his social networks following the meeting.
On Tuesday, Minister Guilbault met with the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante. “We understand the concern of citizens. As always, our police officers will work day and night to catch the criminals involved,” promised the minister.
Valérie Plante went to meet merchants on rue Saint-Denis at the end of the day, “to assure them that the SPVM is hard at work conducting the investigation and finding the criminals involved”. The two elected officials praised the “excellent work” of the Montreal police.
A man in his forties was first shot at around 12:55 p.m. in the parking lot of the shopping center located on Rockland Road, near Sloane Avenue, in Mount Royal. The 44-year-old man, injured by gunshot wounds, succumbed to his injuries, sources confirmed to The Press. This is Maxime Lenoir, an individual linked to bikers, according to our sources.
It was about 30 minutes later that Diego Fiorita, 50, was shot, seated at the Napoli restaurant. He also later succumbed to his injuries.
With Daniel Renaud
