A 29-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving causing death in connection with a collision that killed a teen boy near a park in Montreal’s Cartierville neighbourhood on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day last year.
On June 24, 2024, 14-year-old Al Housseini Diacko was heading home on the new e-scooter he just got for his birthday when he was hit by a vehicle on Lachapelle Street near Park Mésy.
He later died in the hospital.
Shaquille Eric Pierre-Louis of Deux-Montagnes was charged with dangerous driving causing death, and is expected to appear in court on May 5.
In September, a “ghost scooter” and plaque were installed near the site of the incident, and advocates, including Ensemble Montréal city councillor Effie Giannou, have called for speed limits to be reduced around parks.
This is the first time the Vélo Fantôme organization has installed a memorial for a scooter rider.
Ahuntsic-Cartierville Borough Mayor Émilie Thuillier was in the park for Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations the day of the collision, but had left before Diacko was struck.
“Really, it’s horrible,” she said.
Thuillier said that Pierre-Louis being charged is the right step, though it won’t be enough to ease the family’s pain.
“This is important for the family,” she said. “It’s important for the neighbourhood but for the boy, it doesn’t do anything, and for the family, it’s still very difficult.”
After the incident, Thuillier, along with Montreal police (SPVM) and residents from the borough, walked through the area to see what could be improved.
She said the speed limit must be lowered to 40 km/h near the park and speed display signs should be installed.
However, Thuillier said she wants more enforcement.
“We asked a lot for photo radar because it is the only measure that works,” she said. “We cannot put a policeman at each intersection to see people and contravene… Photo radar is automatic.”
She said the City of Montreal needs add 300 photo radar cameras, so future collisions do not occur.
