Bodyguard for Rizzuto associate charged with attempted murder for botched hit
A St. Léonard man faces four counts related to last week's shooting near the Laval home of Raynald Desjardins, an alleged associate of the Rizzuto crime clan.
A bail hearing is to be held Tuesday for Jonathan Mignacca, 26, the only suspect arrested in the exchange of gunfire on a busy thoroughfare - an apparent attempt on Desjardins's life.
Mignacca appeared in Quebec Court on Monday. His lawyer, Debora De Thomasis, told reporters: "To me, this is a case of self defence."
Desjardins, 57, is known to police for his ties to Vito Rizzuto, an alleged leader of the Montreal Mafia currently serving a 10-year prison term in the U.S.
Desjardins and Mignacca were riding in separate vehicles along Lévesque Blvd. when a gunman emerged from some bushes and opened fire, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Mignacca - believed to be Desjardins's bodyguard - suffered a minor injury to his chest.
He is charged with endangering public safety by intentionally discharging a firearm, possession of a weapon in a dangerous manner, possession of prohibited .40 calibre ammunition, and using a firearm in a negligent manner.
Police initially speculated there might have been an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles damaged in the shooting, but that no longer appears to be the case, police sources say.
A witness reported seeing someone riding a personal watercraft on the Rivière des Prairies near the scene of the shooting just before the shots were fired, Laval police Constable Franco Di Genova said.
"After the shooting, a Sea-Doo that had been set on fire was found on the Montreal side of the river," Di Genova said. "Was this used in the shooting? It remains to be seen."
A bail hearing is to be held Tuesday for Jonathan Mignacca, 26, the only suspect arrested in the exchange of gunfire on a busy thoroughfare - an apparent attempt on Desjardins's life.
Mignacca appeared in Quebec Court on Monday. His lawyer, Debora De Thomasis, told reporters: "To me, this is a case of self defence."
Desjardins, 57, is known to police for his ties to Vito Rizzuto, an alleged leader of the Montreal Mafia currently serving a 10-year prison term in the U.S.
Desjardins and Mignacca were riding in separate vehicles along Lévesque Blvd. when a gunman emerged from some bushes and opened fire, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Mignacca - believed to be Desjardins's bodyguard - suffered a minor injury to his chest.
He is charged with endangering public safety by intentionally discharging a firearm, possession of a weapon in a dangerous manner, possession of prohibited .40 calibre ammunition, and using a firearm in a negligent manner.
Police initially speculated there might have been an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles damaged in the shooting, but that no longer appears to be the case, police sources say.
A witness reported seeing someone riding a personal watercraft on the Rivière des Prairies near the scene of the shooting just before the shots were fired, Laval police Constable Franco Di Genova said.
"After the shooting, a Sea-Doo that had been set on fire was found on the Montreal side of the river," Di Genova said. "Was this used in the shooting? It remains to be seen."
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