Montreal police investigating armed assault of man in homeless encampment
57-year-old victim believed to have been beaten with object, police say
A 57-year-old man is in hospital with serious injuries after being assaulted in a homeless encampment in Montreal's Ville-Marie borough Thursday morning.
Police were called to the site of the encampment, located under an overpass near the intersection of Bercy and Ste-Catherine streets, around 10:50 a.m.
Officers say the man was suffering from serious injuries to his upper and lower body but was conscious when he was taken to hospital.
Initial findings suggest he was beaten with an object, police say. No arrests have been made.
Police say it's too early to say whether the man was experiencing homelessness or living in the encampment at the time of the assault.
Investigators are currently on scene and looking for witnesses. The police service's canine squad has also been brought to the scene to help with the investigation.
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante condemned the violent attack, calling it "shocking and intolerable."
"We need to support the organizations that provide safe and suitable places for people experiencing homelessness and accelerate the construction of social and affordable housing," she wrote.