The death of an alleged gang member leads to a police manhunt in Greater Montreal

Police are investigating the death of a man believed to be gang-related in the Greater Montreal area.

Half a dozen searches are underway in Montreal, as well as in Laval on the North Shore and Brossard on the South Shore, according to the Montreal Police Department (SPVM).

It comes after a 28-year-old man was shot dead at 12:15 a.m. on February 17 as he left a restaurant on rue Bellechasse near rue Saint-Denis in the Rosemont-La-Petit-Patri district.

“The suspect(s) quickly fled the scene,” according to Montreal police. “A seriously injured man was found at the scene and died soon after. Several shells were also found on the ground.”

The man's death is the sixth homicide of 2024 in the Montreal area.

According to a CTV News source, the drive-by shooting victim, Jean Brandon Celestin, was the brother of notorious gang leader Jean-Philippe Celestin, a key player in the downtown Montreal drug trade.

Daniel Renaud, a La Presse journalist who specializes in organized crime, said the Celestine brothers were also “right-hand men” of organized crime kingpin Gregory Woolley, who was shot dead in November.

“Whatever the pundits think, whatever the observers think, we're seeing a realignment of organized crime in Montreal right now,” he explained. “Police believe rivals want to seize control of drug trade in Montreal.”

About 100 police officers from the SPVM as well as the Longueuil Police (SPAL) and the Laval Police (SPL) are participating in Thursday's operation.

Anyone with information about the homicide is encouraged to call 911, visit their local police station or contact Info-Crime Montreal anonymously and confidentially at 514 393-1133 or via the report form.