Driver faces first-degree murder charges in deaths of Quebec pedestrians

A Quebec man charged after a pickup truck rammed pedestrians last month now faces three counts of first-degree murder.

Steve Gagnon also faces nine counts of attempted murder, according to charges outlined in an arrest warrant filed Tuesday in Amqui, Que., court.

On March 13, a truck hit a group of pedestrians on a major street in Amqui, about 350 kilometers northeast of Quebec City, in what police say was a deliberate act.

Gagnon, 38, faces two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, but prosecutors say more charges are expected and a third victim has died.

Three men died in the accident: Gérald Charest, 65, Jean Lafrenière, 73, and Simon-Guillaume Bourget, 41.

Charest and Lafrenière were killed on the day of the crash, while Bourget died a few days later in a Quebec City hospital.

The truck hit 11 people, ranging in age from less than 1 to 77 years old.

Gagnon, who has been in custody since the incident, will return to court on Wednesday.

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