Teenage girl who was gunned down in Montreal remembered by friends, family for loving life
'I can't understand': Family reels from tragedy as friends and neighbours gather to show support
Safia Boundaoui said her littlesister loved life and "she was our dream here in Canada."
Boundaoui spoke between sobs, holding herface in her hands, struggling to describe her loss.
Her husband and friends consoled her during a Tuesday vigil held in memory of Meriem, the 15-year-oldAlgerian immigrant whose life was cut short by a drive-by shooting in Montreal over the weekend.
About 50 people gathered, bringing flowers, stuffed animals and letters addressed to Meriem. She had only been in Canada for two years, and was a high school student with loftyaspirations.
"It is a disaster for us," Boundaoui said of her sister. "When I heard the news, I don't know. I thought it was a dream. I don't know."
During the vigil, she collapsed on the ground and touched a spot where a bit of her sister's blood remained frozen to the snow in a parking lot near Jean-Talon Street.
Several of Meriem's fellow students, her loved ones and members of Quebec's Algerian community attended the service.
Boundaoui lived in La Prairie, on Montreal's South Shore, with her older sister. Meriem attended cole Pierre-Bdardin nearby Saint-Rmi, wherethe local school board offered counselling support to her classmates.
"This event touches, to various degrees, all the members of the personnel and the students of Pierre-Bedard school,'' the Centre de services scolaire des Grandes-Seigneuries said in a statement.
Samir Bouchoul, who is Safia Boundaoui'shusband, said he and his wife often allowed Meriemto go out with friends on Sundays to enjoy the last hours of the weekend, like teens do.
"Even now I can't understand what happened," he said, speaking fondly of the young girlwho had followed her older sister to Canada and lived with the couple.
No arrests yet, police say
Police said the girl was with another person inside a stopped car Sunday night. They were talking to a group of people on the sidewalkwhen a second car drove up and someone opened fire.
Meriem and a 21-year-old man who was on the sidewalk were hit by bullets, and she was later pronounceddead.
As of Tuesday afternoon,no arrests had been made in connection with her murder, police said.
Montreal police Insp. David Bertrand said the entire force is "very, very troubled'' by what he described as an "incredible human tragedy."
He said every effort is being made to find those responsible.
The drive-by shooting was one ina series of recent crimes that has authorities worriedgun violence is on the rise in Montreal,Bertrand said.
Gun violence on the rise:Bertrand
Bertrand said gun crimes against people roseby about 10 per cent between 2019 and 2020.
He attributedthe rise to an increasing "trivialization'' of gun use by criminals.
"We're talking about people who are criminalized, who were previously committing crimes but maybe who didn't use guns before, are now using more guns when committing infractions,'' he said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.
He said the weapons are procured from diverse sources: some are imported, some stolen, some legally acquired, but later sold illegally.
Police have increased patrols in certain neighbourhoods and created units dedicated to fighting gun-related crimes and arms trafficking, he said.
"But we're faced with a phenomenon and the police can't solve this phenomenon alone,'' Bertrand said, calling forthe support of local partners and organizations in the police service's effort to prevent such crimes.
with files by Simon Nakonechny and The Canadian Press
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