Three days following her 11-year-old son was the victim of an attack, a mother from the Saint-Élie district in Sherbrooke is still just as troubled and hopes that the culprits will be apprehended.
Isabelle Gadbois’ son was attacked from the back by two teenagers last Friday at dinnertime as he walked home from school. According to the mother of the family, the suspects struck a hockey stick behind the knees and calves of her child, until it fell to the ground. The suspects fled when a car drove into the area.
“The emotions are quite intense and visceral at the level of anger, feelings of helplessness and misunderstanding. It’s a violence that is free, ”lamented Isabelle Gadbois.
Fortunately, the boy was not seriously injured, but the past few days have been a roller coaster of emotions. The child receives the necessary psychological support from the school and the CAVAC. For a while, Isabelle Gadbois’ son preferred not to walk to school.
“It is necessary that these young people, with an appeal to the population, that one manages to identify them. First, they must answer for their actions. 15 or 16 years old, we understand what is good or bad, believes Isabelle Gadbois. But we don’t want a witch hunt either. Beyond coaching, these young people need help.
An investigation is currently being conducted by the Sherbrooke Police Department. No suspects have been apprehended at this time. The municipal councilor for the district of Saint-Élie, Christelle Lefèvre, has also been notified. A monitoring committee had been launched in the neighborhood during the pandemic, following an increase in misdeeds and certain acts of incivility. The assault that occurred last Friday will reinvigorate the committee’s discussions over the coming weeks.