Infant, toddler were badly injured when truck hit nine pedestrians in Amqui

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A months-old infant and a toddler are among the nine people who were seriously injured when a truck plowed into pedestrians in the small town of Amqui Monday, in what the Sûreté du Québec is describing as a premeditated act. Two men were killed in the incident.

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Speaking to reporters in Amqui, which is 200 kilometres east of Rivière-du-Loup, near the New Brunswick border, the SQ identified the dead as Gérald Charest, 65, and Jean Lafrenière, 73.

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Police have not made public the identity of the 38-year-old suspect, a local resident who is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon, other than to say he has no criminal record. SQ spokesperson Sgt. Claude Doiron said the suspect turned himself in to police Monday afternoon and quickly confessed.

Doiron said the investigation suggests the act was premeditated and the victims were struck by the vehicle at random.

The ages of the injured range from that of the infant to 77 years old.

The two children were seriously injured, but “for the moment” their lives are not in danger, Doiron said. Both children are being treated at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval in Quebec City.

Six of the victims are being treated in Quebec City. Three are in critical condition; the rest are listed as being in stable condition.

Another patient remains in hospital in Amqui in stable condition, local officials said.

This story will be updated.