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Police spokeswoman Mariane Allaire Morin says the motive behind the slaying remains unknown, but the victim had a criminal record and was known to police.

Police statistics show the last time more than 40 homicides were recorded on Montreal Island -- whose 15 municipalities including the City of Montreal are served by a single police force -- was in 2007, when 42 were reported.

The city averaged 29 homicides a year between 2012 and 2022, including 36 in 2021.

Statistics Canada says the greater Montreal region had a murder rate of 1.11 per 100,000 people in 2021. Among census metropolitan areas with more than 300,000 people, only the Ottawa-Gatineau region, Quebec City and the Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo area had lower rates.

This report by ¹ú²úÓÕ»ó¸£Àû was first published Dec. 31, 2022.