LAVAL, Que. — A funeral will be held Thursday for one of the two children killed when a bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday in Laval, Que., just north of Montreal.
Jacob Gauthier, 4, was identified in an obituary posted online and officials at Ste-Rose-de-Lima church confirmed his funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. next week.
The identity of the second young victim has not been made public.
The alleged bus attack at the Garderie Éducative Ste-Rose left two children dead and sent six others to hospital with injuries that doctors said were not life-threatening.
Michel Bouchard, the parish priest, told various media Friday that he'd baptized the boy about three years ago and will now be presiding over his funeral. The funeral home notice says Jacob was four and a half and is survived by his mother, father, sister as well as grandparents and other extended family.
The bus crash has left a community shaken and grief-stricken. Some gathered to attend a special mass Friday at the church in honour of the victims, the injured, their families and the daycare staff.
The church has been a gathering place for the community seeking solace after Wednesday's attack.
“This drama has tested us deeply, which makes us ask questions about life and the meaning of life," Bouchard told those gathered. "And yet, life is the most important thing."
Montreal's Sainte-Justine children's hospital said Thursday that two of the injured children had been released from its care, and on Friday it had no update on the other two children still hospitalized there. Officials with the Laval regional health authority did not return a message seeking an update on the two children hospitalized at the Cité-de-la-Santé hospital.
Pierre Ny St-Amand, a 51-year-old driver with the Laval transit corporation, was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of first-degree murder as well as seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault. His case returns to court next Friday.
Police have not identified a motive for Wednesday's crash.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2023.
The Canadian Press
