Two men aged 18 and 20 arrested after deadly fire in Old Montreal
CTV
Montreal police have arrested two young adults in connection with the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that killed a mother and her young daughter.
Montreal police arrested two young adults in connection with the deadly fire in Old Montreal last week that killed a mother and her young daughter.
The two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested Friday in the city's Saint-Laurent and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs, said the head of the police's major crime section, Jean-Sébastien Caron, at a news conference. One of the suspects was arrested at a residence, while the other was arrested on the street.
Police allege the older suspect started the fire after throwing an incendiary device into the building, while the teenager drove a getaway vehicle after the fire broke out.
The five-alarm blaze on Oct. 4 killed Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter, Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie. Both were French nationals.
At the time of the fire, there were 25 people inside the three-storey, 160-year-old building in the city's historic district. Two people were seriously injured, including one who remains in hospital.
The case is now in the hands of the Quebec Crown prosecution office to determine whether charges should be laid against the two young suspects. At the press conference, Insp. David Shane wouldn't speculate on which charges are expected but did tell reporters, "For us, we treated this case as a murder case from the beginning but obviously the decision will be made by the Crown prosecutor."
