FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: AMQUI QB RESIDENT DROVE TRUCK INTO PEDESTRIANS , CHARGED, MAYBE MURDER!

Police say Amqui, Que., crash was deliberate, victims chosen at random. Amqui resident Steeve Gagnon, 38, charged with dangerous driving causing death The driver of a pickup truck that slammed into a group of pedestrians in Amqui, Que., on Monday afternoon did so intentionally but chose his victims at random, the police said.

Provincial police have identified Steeve Gagnon, 38, of Amqui, as the driver.

• Pickup truck driver hits multiple pedestrians, kills 2 in Amqui, Que.

Gagnon turned himself in, was arrested and has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, with more charges expected in the future, according to the Crown.

Officers held Gagnon's arms as they walked him into the Amqui courthouse on Tuesday afternoon. He wore a grey T-shirt and glasses.

Outside, a group of Amqui residents gathered. They hurled insults at him and booed as he made the short walk from a police car to the courthouse. He appeared to smirk at the crowd, which outraged them. "He's smiling," one man remarked in disbelief.

In the courtroom, Gagnon entered no plea. His next court appearance is April 5. He will remain in custody.

Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73, were killed and nine others were injured in the incident. Claude Doiron, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Quebec's provincial police force, said investigators believe Gagnon planned the act and did it deliberately, but chose his victims at random. Officers are treating the incident as a murder investigation, Doiron said.

Gagnon is co-operating with investigators, he added.

In 2006, Gagnon pleaded guilty to driving with a blood alcohol concentration over the legal limit. He was fined $600.

Of the nine surviving victims, three suffered serious injuries and are in critical condition and six others were being evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to the SQ. Six victims, including a baby and a toddler, were transferred by plane to the Hôpital de l'Enfant-Jésus trauma unit in Quebec City. They are both in stable condition, the CHU de Québec confirmed. Three adults remain in critical condition. One victim is under observation at the Amqui hospital.

'He smashed everyone who was on the sidewalk'

The Lower Saint-Lawence health and social services authority (CISSS) says it has deployed 10 psychosocial workers to help the relatives of the victims.

Witnesses described how, shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday, a pickup truck drove up onto the sidewalk in front of the Captive microbrewery on Saint-Benoît Boulevard, accelerating toward pedestrians.

The road is part of Highway 132, the principal route along the St. Lawrence and east into New Brunswick. It is the main street of many small towns.

Ken Moreau, an Amqui resident, was walking on the sidewalk at the time and heard a loud noise behind him.

He turned and saw a pickup truck heading straight for him, accelerating, he said, as it raced down the sidewalk.

"I saw everything. I was just in front of the first people who were hit," he said.

Moreau managed to dive behind a lamppost, but others weren't able to react as quickly.

"I just had the time to jump to safety, and he smashed everyone who was on the sidewalk," he said. "People didn't have time. The man right in front of me didn't have a chance. We turned at the same time, both of us, and he was hit. I think that man died.

"It's terrible."