“Night of Horror” in Quebec | “I will carry you...

(Quebec) “I will carry you in my heart […] Suzanne, I love you. “It is with a broken heart, with a broken voice, that Jacques Fortin, spouse of Suzanne Clermont, killed Saturday evening in Old Quebec, addressed – from a distance – to the hundreds of people gathered in front of his home to honor the memory of the deceased.

Fanny Levesque
Press

Gabriel Beland
Press

Mr. Fortin’s son, Julien, opened his cell phone in front of the crowd to make the voice of his father heard, who is still receiving care after suffering this immense shock. “Take care of me, keep watching over me,” he said to his lover.

And for those who were present: “Enjoy the people you love […], everything can change, ”he warned, his throat tied. Before adding: “I love you all and I hug you. “

Suzanne Clermont, 61, went out to smoke a cigarette at the wrong time, late Saturday evening. Fate will have wanted her to cross the path of the murderer.

She was attacked with a saber.

François Duchesne, 56, also died during this sordid hunt for passers-by, which also left five injured on Halloween night. A vigil to pay tribute this time to Mr. Duchesne is held on Tuesday.

In front of M’s home^me Clermont, where the drama took place, hundreds of friends, neighbors, clients – she was a hairdresser – and strangers watched by candlelight for long hours, braving the coldness of November.

The mayor of Quebec, Régis Labeaume, visibly moved, came to lay a wreath of flowers on the threshold of the red door. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, also reflected for a few minutes. The President of the Treasury Board and Federal Member of Parliament for Quebec, Jean-Yves Duclos, was also present, in particular.

“You are here in front of the house of happiness, that’s what we called it”, summarized Julien Fortin, inconsolable, after the words spoken by his father.

Several residents of the neighborhood described M^me Clermont as a loving woman, attentive and of remarkable generosity.

“She was inclusive, unifying,” said Yolande Dubé and Henriette Lalancette, two longtime friends. “Seeing this human solidarity gives us the courage to continue. That’s what grabs my heart, ”added M.^me Dubé.

She had just thanked Mayor Labeaume, who was nearby, for his “fair and human tone, with the right nuances”, since the drama.

The latter could not contain his tears.

Quebec, targeted for its beauty?

Earlier Monday, the mayor of Quebec hypothesized that the capital may have been targeted for its beauty.

“It’s wickedly fascinating what happened. An individual with a saber who preyed on people in medieval clothes in a historic town bordering on medieval. Of course, unfortunately, there is a fascination for that, ”Mr. Labeaume said at a press conference on Monday.

The suspect, a 24-year-old man from the Montreal area, drove two hours to bring death to Quebec.

Sunday evening, the mayor went to the scene of the crimes. This “sinister pilgrimage” took place in a sad, empty historic district.

Régis Labeaume wondered if his city had not been chosen because of its old stones, its unique decor in North America. “I suspected it so much. Quebec could have been chosen, the chosen one of a drama, because of its beauty. Sinister ”, wrote the mayor on Facebook, where he told the story of his hike in the Old Town.

The capital has been particularly affected by acts of violence in recent years. The attack at the Grand Mosque of Quebec which left 6 dead on January 29, 2017 marked the spirits. More recently, two boys, aged 2 and 5, were killed in Wendake, near Quebec.

“Do not throw any more, the yard is full,” implored the mayor.

On Monday, he called for kindness. “I ask everyone to ask themselves what more they can do to help each other. ”

The vigil in memory of Mr. Duchesne is organized by the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ) Tuesday at 6 p.m. in front of the Pierre Lassonde pavilion. François Duchesne was an executive of the MNBAQ.

“There are no words to express our sadness at the loss of a colleague and friend of the quality of François Duchesne,” reacted Monday morning the director of the Museum, Jean-Luc Murray. “There are a thousand and one ways to die and François did not deserve this terrible and violent end. ”

Flowers were also placed near rue du Trésor, not far from Château Frontenac, where he was allegedly killed.