BURST
An undercover Quebec provincial police officer was inside a Laval Starbucks trailing an organized crime figure when he was fatally shot, according to multiple reports.
Charalambos Theologou, known as “Bobby the Greek,” was killed in a burst of gunfire Wednesday morning, with two others also wounded.
According to LaPresse and Radio-Canada, a Sûreté du Québec team of officers had been monitoring Theologou from the time he left his home. At least one officer was inside the café when two hooded suspects entered, opened fire and fled within 15 seconds.
In a video circulated shortly after the shooting, a man, who is believed to be a plainclothes police officer, walks over the victims on the floor to assess their injuries.
The SQ declined to confirm the presence of undercover officers at the Starbucks.
Theologou, 40, was a known drug trafficker and considered a major player in Laval’s criminal underworld.
In the wake of the shooting, a grey Honda Civic was found burned in Montreal’s east end. The SQ confirmed to The Gazette that the vehicle is linked to Wednesday’s killing.
Montreal police said officers discovered the car ablaze around 3 a.m. Thursday near Clément-Ader and Joliot-Curie Aves. in the Rivière-des-Prairies—Pointe-aux-Trembles borough. The Montreal fire department extinguished the blaze and referred the matter to police, whose arson squad has taken over that part of the investigation.
La Presse reported the vehicle is believed to have been used by the two suspects seen on video entering the Starbucks moments before the attack, though police have not confirmed that detail.
The SQ continues to lead the investigation. A mobile command post has been set up outside the Starbucks as officers continue to gather evidence and seek witnesses.