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2 children dead, driver faces several charges, including 1st degree murder
A state of shock is still palpable in a Laval, Que., community, where residents are reeling after a transit driver crashed a bus into a daycare Wednesday, killing two children and injuring six more.
The fatal crash left parents scrambling to find their kids shortly after they dropped them off at the Garderie Éducative de Sainte-Rose in the Sainte-Rose neighbourhood on Terrasse Dufferin.
Two children who were rushed to the Sainte-Justine Hospital following the accident have been discharged, the hospital confirmed early Thursday morning, while two others still hospitalized are in stable condition. The Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital said Wednesday that the injuries of two children in its care were not considered life-threatening.
Sébastien Courtois, the father of a four-and-a-half-year-old boy who was taken to hospital, said his wife arrived at the scene and saw their son lying on a table.
"He was conscious and he recognized his mom and his first question was, 'Why did he do it?'" Courtois said.
It's a question authorities still don't have an answer to.
Police say Pierre Ny St-Amand, 51, a bus driver with the Société de transport de Laval (STL), crashed the Laval city bus into the daycare around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Witnesses say St-Amand was acting delirious after exiting the bus, tearing off his clothes and screaming as several people restrained him on the ground before police arrived.
WATCH | Drone footage of where the bus struck:
Drone captures bird's-eye view of Laval daycare bus crash scene
Police created a large perimeter around the Garderie Éducative de Sainte-Rose in Laval, Que., after a city bus crashed into the daycare.
He was arrested at the scene and is facing nine charges, including two counts of first-degree murder.
On Wednesday afternoon, he appeared in court virtually while lying in a hospital bed. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 17.
'I'm in so much pain'
Charbel Fares had just dropped his children off at an elementary school down the street from the daycare when his neighbour said "something just happened near the school."
He immediately ran back to check that his kids were OK.
"Of course when you hear about something, I go to the school directly to see my children. It's a normal reaction. Your muscles and all your body they…you cannot explain," he said.
Like many others, he said it's still been difficult to process what happened.
Another woman, Mireille Girard, came to the scene with her daughter to lay flowers and a stuffed animal. She lives in the neighbourhood and used to work at a different daycare, so she said the news hit home.
"I was afraid it would be my daycare at first, before the information came in. But…how can I…I don't even have words. Just realizing it. To be here and to realize it is even more messed up …I'm in so much pain," she said.
Laval police said a command post with staff who can offer psychological support will be established Thursday near the scene of the crash.
LISTEN | How the community is coping:
Daybreak's Ainslie MacLellan spoke with people in the neighbourhood where a driver drove a city bus into a daycare, killing two children and injuring six others. They share how they are processing the horrific event and even how they're speaking to their own children about what happened.
Vigils held as community mourns
Throughout the day and into the evening Wednesday, neighbours, parents and others came together to try to make sense of the situation.
People flocked to the security perimeter erected around the scene to lay flowers, cards and stuffed animals on a police cruiser to honour the victims of the crash and to show support for the daycare staff.
A similar event took place at the Sainte-Rose-de-Lima church during an impromptu candlelight vigil Wednesday night, where people expressed feelings of rage, confusion and heartache.
The city of Laval is holding a second vigil at the church Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Premier François Legault will visit the scene of the tragedy Thursday morning in the company of other party leaders, the minister responsible for the Laval region, Christopher Skeete, the mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, and the director of the Laval Police Department, Pierre Brochet.
The flag at the National Assembly is flying at half-mast Thursday. The lights at Montreal's city hall, the Olympic stadium and the CN Tower in Toronto were turned off in memory of the two young victims Wednesday.
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Credit belongs to : www.cbc.ca
