MONTREAL — At least four people have been attacked with a hammer in separate incidents in Quebec, with one of the assaults turning fatal and likely leading to a murder charge.
A 19-year-old man was killed and two other people suffered head injuries following random attacks on Tuesday evening in Laval, just north of Montreal.
In that case, police arrested a 34-year-old man who was expected to appear in court on Wednesday on several charges, including murder, attempted murder and mischief.
Meanwhile, in Trois-Rivieres, a teenage girl was seriously injured after also being targeted with a hammer in an incident that happened at about the same time.
Const. Michel Letarte said a 911 call led police to the 14-year-old girl, who told authorities she'd been attacked by an unknown man from behind with a hammer.
"She had multiple injuries to her face and arms, but we don't fear for her life," Letarte said.
Trois-Rivieres police were still seeking a suspect, described as a man in his 40s with grey hair.
"It seems to be an isolated incident," Letarte said.
On Wednesday, Laval police were canvassing a large crime scene where the attacks took place between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. the previous evening.
Police say the victims appear to have been chosen at random.
"There are no links between him (the accused) and the three victims, there's also no links between the three victims," said Const. Franco Di Genova. "We're talking about three separate cases."
Di Genova said authorities arrested the suspect, who is known to local police, following eyewitness reports of someone smashing car windows.
Officers caught the suspect after a store business had its window smashed with a brick or rock, triggering an alarm.
Police used an electroshock weapon to arrest the man, who was agitated and transported to hospital, Di Genova said.
"Investigators confirmed his identity and also found pieces of identification of the victim (the man who died) on him," Di Genova said.
His body was found in between two homes after his father had reported him missing.
The two other victims — a 41-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man — also suffered head wounds that were not considered life-threatening.
