A man with ties to organized crime was killed and two others were seriously injured in a daylight shooting at a Starbucks in a busy strip mall in Laval, Que., which authorities said bore the hallmarks of a planned hit.
Radio-Canada sources have confirmed the victim was Charalambos Theologou, also known as Bobby the Greek. The two people injured in the shooting were members of his gang, the Chomedey Greeks.
Laval police rushed to the Starbucks, located at the corner of the Highway 440 service road and 100th Avenue, after receiving a 911 call at 10:30 a.m. reporting the shooting. At the time, the busy complex, which also features other restaurants and businesses, was packed with people.
Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière told reporters in Quebec City that one person had been killed and two others injured, but he said the shooting appeared to be a targeted one connected to organized crime and that he didn’t think any “innocent victims” had been harmed.
“Still, happening in a Starbucks, at 10:30 in the morning, this is not something I’m happy about,” he said.
Theologou was known for his involvement and oversight of an extortion ring in Laval, according to Radio-Canada.
His criminal record includes multiple convictions for conspiracy, weapons charges and drug trafficking. He was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy and aggravated assault in 2007 and, shortly after he was released, to five years in prison for drug trafficking in 2010.
Video obtained by Radio-Canada shows two people entering and fleeing the café during the incident. The moment the shooting takes place has been removed from the video due to its graphic nature.
CBC has verified a photo circulating on social media taken inside the Starbucks which shows three men lying on the ground, one with a visible wound. The men appear to have been seated in a lounge area near the back of the café.
The graphic photo, which appears to show the immediate aftermath of the shooting, indicates that it took place inside the Starbucks, when police said it was filled with customers. Leather chairs are strewn across the floor and a blood stain is visible near one of the men.
Lafrenière said the government would maintain pressure on organized crime. He cited a police operation on Tuesday involving more than 200 officers across Quebec and Ontario as one example of that pressure. That operation led to the arrests of 13 people in connection with the mistaken-identity killing of a drug dealer’s mother.
Police in the Montreal suburb were called to the Starbucks near Highway 440 Wednesday morning. According to Radio-Canada, the victim was Charalambos Theologou, also known as Bobby the Greek. The two people injured in the shooting were members of his gang, the Chomedey Greeks.
Mayor, police chief reassure population
In an afternoon news conference alongside police Chief Pierre Brochet, Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer expressed sympathy for those who were at the coffee shop or in the surrounding businesses at the time of the shooting, be they workers or customers.
He described the event as shocking, traumatizing and intolerable, while reassuring citizens that the number of homicides and firearm incidents in the city has gone down by half in recent years.
He attributed the decline to police reform and the methods now being used to be more present in the community.
Brochet said the file has been transferred to the Sûreté du Québec and he can’t speak to the specifics of the case, but like the mayor, he called the event unacceptable.
“We can’t accept those kinds of events,” he said. “There is a big impact on the safety of citizens.”‘
He said his police service will be out in force in the coming days, increasing working hours to beef up visibility in strategic areas throughout the city. He said the various units, including those specialized in reaching out to the community, will be increasing efforts to reassure the population.
Christopher Skeete, the minister responsible for the Laval region, who represents a riding just north of the Starbucks, said he knows the location of the shooting well.
“I go for coffee there. I used to work near there … It’s very scary to think that we have machine gun fire in Laval,” he said, referring to unconfirmed reports that an automatic weapon had been used in the shooting.
Skeete said the shooting helped demonstrate why the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government’s increased focus on public safety was necessary.
“I would still remind Quebecers that we live in a relatively safe place,” he said. “There’s no need to be overly concerned about this being a more routine phenomenon every day, but it does point to the case that organized crime needs to be addressed and we need to look it straight in the eye.”
In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson says the company is “devastated” to have learned of the incident.
“Our hearts are with our customers, their families and the community of Laval,” the statement says. It adds the company is working with local authorities to support the developing investigation and employees are receiving support.