Officers identified both men who was fatally struck by a suspicious man driving a pickup truck in the small Quebec town of Amqui in the Lower St. Lawrence area on Monday.
73-year-old Jean Lafreniere and 65-year-old Gérald Charest were killed while walking on the side of the road, Quebec provincial police spokesman Claude Diron said. Ten others were injured and taken to hospital, including an infant and a three-year-old child.
The children were seriously injured but their injuries were not life-threatening.
Investigators specializing in analyzing crashes are at the scene to determine how fast the driver was going and how long he was on Highway 132 before the pedestrians collided with the vehicle.
Monday afternoon Steve Gagnon, 38 Doiron said the arrest was made and he is likely to face first-degree murder charges. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Dorian said it appeared to be a premeditated act and that police were not aware of the suspect. He implicated the driver in the crime and turned himself in at the local police station.
Six victims were taken to the Enfants-Jesus Hospital in Quebec City and four are being treated at Amqui Hospital. Three other people were treated at the scene and released. A patient remains at Amkui Hospital on Tuesday.
The condition of three people remains critical.
The Center for Health and Social Services in Lower St. Lawrence (CISSS-BSL) established a special help line for those directly or indirectly affected by the tragedy.
The block MP for Avignon–La Matisse-Matané-Matapedia, Christina Michaud, said she was shocked to hear the news.
The 30-year-old federal politician was born in the small, peaceful community of 6,000 people.
“Still in shock over the events of this afternoon in Amki,” he wrote on Twitter. “My thoughts are with the injured, the witnesses and their loved ones.”
Michaud told The Canadian Press that she was worried about her mother, who drives down that street.
“Here in Amki, when you hear a police, ambulance or fire siren, you stick your nose out the window because you think, ‘Who is that? We must know this person,'” she said. “Yesterday, there were several people we knew. It’s extremely disturbing. The whole community wants this to be a nightmare.”
Quebec Minister of Public Safety Francois Bonnardel is expected to visit Amki today.
With files from The Canadian Press.