By Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal
A Quebec man was charged Wednesday in a Montreal hit and run that killed a seven-year-old girl who had recently arrived in Canada with her mother and two siblings after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said a parish priest is in contact with the mother, and the church plans to set up a fundraising drive to help the family cover funeral costs.
Shwec said the young girl, identified as Maria in a fundraising campaign launched by the mother's employer, arrived with her mother, brother and sister a few months ago as the girl's father stayed behind in Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion.
"It's horrible. It's horrible for that mother, it's horrible for the community," Shwec said in an interview. "We welcome the support of the greater Montreal ... Quebec and Canadian community to help support the mother with prayers and funds if they can."
Multiple calls were made to 911 at around 8:05 a.m. Tuesday about the collision on Parthenais Street, just east of downtown. Authorities say the driver left the scene before police and first responders arrived and that the young girl died in hospital.
Montreal police spokeswoman Const. Mariane Allaire Morin said a 45-year-old man turned himself in Tuesday afternoon.
On Wednesday, Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia was charged with one count of failing to stop after an accident resulting in death. The Crown opposed his release on bail.
The case against the Longueuil, Que., man will return to court on Thursday with a Spanish-language interpreter present. His lawyer, Eric Coulombe, did not offer a comment after the brief arraignment.
Becerra does not have a criminal record. The 45-year-old, wearing a white T-shirt with his hair pulled into a ponytail, appeared briefly before a judge by video from a police detention centre.
Prosecutor Alexandre Gautier told reporters he was objecting to release to ensure Becerra appears in court, to mitigate the risk to the public and ensure public confidence in the justice system.
"We will continue to study the case, the investigation will continue and we'll be able to make a firmer decision in the coming days," Gautier said.
The hearing on Thursday will either set a date for a bail hearing or come to an agreement on release conditions.
"It's still being evaluated. We're early in the process," Gautier said. "But we offer all our sympathies to the family of the victim. It's certainly a troubling event, and we'll work with them on what's to come."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2022.
Banner image via The Canadian Press
