Man facing charge after Ukrainian refugee, 7, dies in Montreal hit and run

MONTREAL — A Quebec man was charged Wednesday in a Montreal hit and run that killed a seven-year-old girl who had recently arrived in Canada with her mother and two siblings after fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Michael Shwec, president of the Quebec chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said a parish priest is in contact with the mother, and the church plans to set up a fundraising drive to help the family cover funeral costs.

Shwec said the young girl, identified later by family as Maria Legenkovska, arrived with her mother, brother and sister a few months ago as the girl’s father stayed behind in Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion.

“It’s horrible. It’s horrible for that mother, it’s horrible for the community,” Shwec said in an interview. “We welcome the support of the greater Montreal … Quebec and Canadian community to help support the mother with prayers and funds if they can.”

He said the mother has decided to have her daughter buried in Montreal. “She’s decided to make Montreal her home, and burying the child here is one of her wishes,” Shwec said.

Multiple calls were made to 911 at around 8:05 a.m. Tuesday about the collision on Parthenais Street, just east of downtown. Authorities say the driver left the scene before police and first responders arrived and that the young girl died in hospital.

Montreal police spokeswoman Const. Mariane Allaire Morin said a 45-year-old man turned himself in Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday, Juan Manuel Becerra Garcia was charged with one count of failing to stop after an accident resulting in death. The Crown opposed his release on bail.

The case against the Longueuil, Que., man will return to court on Thursday with a Spanish-language interpreter present. His lawyer, Eric Coulombe, did not offer a comment after the brief arraignment.

Becerra does not have a criminal record. The 45-year-old, wearing a white T-shirt with his hair pulled into a ponytail, appeared briefly before a judge by video from a police detention centre.

Prosecutor Alexandre Gautier told reporters he was objecting to release to ensure Becerra appears in court, to mitigate the risk to the public and ensure public confidence in the justice system.

“We will continue to study the case, the investigation will continue and we’ll be able to make a firmer decision in the coming days,” Gautier said.

The hearing on Thursday will either set a date for a bail hearing or come to an agreement on release conditions.

“It’s still being evaluated. We’re early in the process,” Gautier said. “But we offer all our sympathies to the family of the victim. It’s certainly a troubling event, and we’ll work with them on what’s to come.”

On Wednesday, the Montreal hotel where Maria’s mother works launched its own fundraising campaign, one that had raised more than $15,000 by early evening. According to the fundraising effort, the mother has worked at Hotel Labelle since arriving in Canada in July 2022 along with Maria and her two siblings. Money raised will go for funeral and other expenses.

“Who could have imagined fleeing a war-torn country, moving their family to unknown territory in the hopes of a better future could end like this,” reads a note on the fundraising page.

In Quebec City, Premier François Legault in Quebec City urged drivers to slow down in school zones.

“Please be careful in school zones, it’s so sad what happened,” Legault said. “It’s too sad to see somebody from Ukraine, coming from the war, to end like this. It’s terrible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2022.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This a corrected story. A previous version said the fundraising campaign was launched Thursday.