Montreal police searched a large wooded area in eastern Montreal on Tuesday in the hope of identifying the weapon used to kill Meriem Boundaoui. A man was charged on Monday with the murder of the 15-year-old girl, killed in broad daylight in Saint-Léonard last year.
Posted at 12:29 p.m.
Tuesday, passing The Press, dozens of patrollers scoured this area located near Boulevard Gouin Est, under the Charles-de-Gaulle bridge, using metal detectors and a dog handler. An SPVM research vessel was also carrying out searches, with officers on board, along the Rivière des Prairies.
For the moment, the police do not officially confirm the cause of this new research, simply speaking of steps in connection “with a file of major crimes dating from 2021”. Sources, however, indicated that these were directly linked to the murder of Meriem Boundaoui.
According to these sources, the authorities have good reason to believe that the weapon used could have been concealed in this sector, due to information received. Other pieces of evidence could also be found there, believe the Montreal police.
This all comes the day after the arrest of a first suspect in this case. Salim Touaibi, 26, was charged Monday with the first degree murder of Meriem Boundaoui at the Montreal courthouse. He was also charged with attempted murder of four other people who were at the scene when the crime was committed. The case was adjourned to July 22. The other suspect, considered an accomplice, has still not been arrested so far.
“Peace to the soul of my sister”
All the members of the family of the young deceased attended the appearance of the accused on Monday, which was done by videoconference.
“What we wish is peace to the soul of my sister and to the souls of all the victims. Especially young victims. I trust. I thank Canadian security, more particularly Quebec,” said Safia Boundaoui, Meriem’s sister, accompanied by members of her family, as they left the courtroom. “We are happy, but we are waiting for the trial to see what happens next,” said Safia’s spouse, Samir Bouchoul.
Recall that the young girl, originally from Algeria, who was in Quebec to study and who lived with her sister in La Prairie, was shot dead on February 7, 2021. She was to be 16 the following month.
She was with a friend, passenger in a car immobilized in the parking lot of a bakery on rue Jean-Talon, in the borough of Saint-Léonard, when the crime occurred. At that moment, three projectiles then passed through the window of the car in which Meriem Boundaoui was standing before hitting the 15-year-old girl in the head.
According to our information, the young man who accompanied the teenager was talking with other young people when a car with two individuals on board passed near the group standing near the vehicle and opened fire in its direction. One of the youths standing near the vehicle was injured, but projectiles hit the teenage girl who was sitting in the car in the head and died instantly.
With Daniel Renaud, The Press