Montreal

Quebec police arrest suspect in Brossard restaurant shooting

A 27-year-old Laval man will face a charge of first degree murder, in connection with the death of Éric Francis De Souza, who was shot in a Brossard restaurant in 2019.

25-year-old Éric Francis De Souza was killed in a Quartier Dix30 restaurant in 2019

A close-up image of a Quebec police car with the logo on the door.
The suspect, a 27-year-old Laval man, is set to appear in court by video conference, according to the inter-agency organized crime unit ENRCO (l’Escouade nationale sur la répression du crime organisé). (Submitted by the Sûreté du Québec)

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the shooting death of a 25-year-old man in a restaurant in Brossard, on Montreal's South Shore more than two years ago. 

The victim, whom police identified as Éric Francis De Souza, was sitting in a pizzeria in the Quartier Dix30 neighbourhood on May 10, 2019, when a suspect entered the restaurant and shot him.

De Souza later died of his injuries in hospital.

The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle that was later found burnt on Highway 30, according to a police news release.

A 27-year-old Laval man will appear by video conference to face a first-degree murder charge in De Souza's death.

The suspect is already in custody at the Montreal detention centre in connection with firearm possession offences, according to police.

Connection with 'grandparents' fraud investigation 

According to police, an investigation by ENRCO, an inter-agency organized crime unit, revealed that the murder suspect was active in an organized crime ring running a fraud targeting seniors in the United States.

The victim, 25-year-old Éric Francis De Souza, was sitting in a Brossard restaurant in May, 2019 when a suspect entered and opened fire, wounding him fatally. (Radio-Canada)

The "grandparents" scam saw fraudsters calling seniors and asking for money by pretending that one of their family members was in need.

Provincial police would not reveal the connection between the fraud investigation and the murder investigation, other than to say that the two are linked. 

Police could not confirm if the suspect will face charges in the fraud case.