![[2/2] Firefighters stand near the site where a man ran down a group of pedestrians with a van in the in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Amqui, Quebec, Canada on March 13, 2023. REUTERSPIX](https://thesun.my/binrepository/canada-truck-reuters_3039711_20230315075929.png "[2/2] Firefighters stand near the site where a man ran down a group of pedestrians with a van in the in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Amqui, Quebec, Canada on March 13, 2023. REUTERSPIX")
OTTAWA: A Canadian man accused of plowing his pickup truck into pedestrians along a main street in a Quebec town, killing two and injuring nine, was charged Tuesday with two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
But police and prosecutors after a brief court appearance said more charges against the suspect, Steeve Gagnon, could follow as they seek to prove he acted deliberately and with premeditation.
The 38-year-old local man allegedly drove his truck at around 3:00 pm Monday into pedestrians on a sidewalk in downtown Amqui, about 650 kilometers (400 miles) north of Montreal.
Witnesses told local media he then accelerated and continued for another 400 to 500 meters (1,300 to 1,600 feet) along the road, swerving and striking more people.
Prosecutor Simon Blanchette told reporters, “When we’ve collected enough evidence, then we’ll be in a position to lay more charges.”
“But before we talk about murder, premeditated or otherwise, we need to collect the evidence,“ he said.
“So we need to let police do their work. Their investigation is not over.”
Earlier Quebec police spokeswoman Sergeant Helene St-Pierre told AFP investigators “are looking to confirm that the collision was a deliberate act.”
Preliminary information, she said, suggested “it could possibly be a voluntary act committed by the suspect.”
She said the driver fled the scene but later turned himself in at a nearby police station.
Blanchette said it was too early to comment on a motive, adding that Gagnon would remain in custody until his next court appearance on April 5.
The victims ranged in age from a few months to 77 years. Two men, aged 65 and 73, died after being struck.
A Quebec City hospital spokesman, Stephane Tremblay, said six of the injured, including a months-old baby and a three-year-old toddler, had been transported by plane from the town of 6,000 residents in the picturesque Gaspe peninsula.
Three of the adult victims remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, he said. - AFP
