Labrador City mayor says violent Fermont deaths 'shocking'
The mayor of Labrador City is offering condolences to people in a neighbouring town across the Labrador-Quebec border after two people died in a hail of gunfire Friday in Fermont.
Wayne Button said his town and Fermont, less than 30 kilometres apart, are close friends and neighbours, despite being in different provinces.
"I just hope that the police find out exactly what happened and everybody close to those people, the victims, we send our condolences to them," he said.
Quebec's police watchdog, le Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), is investigating the deaths of a 65-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman in the early morning of January 4.
Few details have been released, but the BEI said someone called 911 to say they'd been shot, and when police arrived on the scene, they heard a gunshot. Officers later found two bodies inside a house.
Button said the towns have a lot in common: they're both isolated mining towns in cold climates. He said people routinely travel back and forth from Labrador City to Fermont, so news of the deaths came as a shock.
"A lot of people know each other," he said."
"People from Fermont will come over here for services they can't get there and likewise, some people will shop over there."
Bad memories
The looming memory of an alleged murder in Labrador City less than a year ago added to the mayor's concern.
In April 2018, 28-year-old Vincent Belanger Dompierre was found dead in a home on Pine Avenue. Vince Ward, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder, but has not been tried.
"That's two incidents like that in the area," Button said, "it's a bit odd."
The mayor said his council meets with officials from Fermont a couple times a year to discuss issues of mutual interest. He offered support to the town.
"If they need anything … reach out," he said.
"Hopefully the community just looks at this an an isolated incident and doesn't let it effect other things going on in the community."
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