Psyhiatric evaluation for attempted Pointe Claire murderer

Pointe Claire resident Wael Darwish will have to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to see if he is fit to stand trial after police charged him with attempted murder following a gunshot he may have fired at his wife at their home this Tuesday.

Described by a witness as kind to his neighbours to the point of making jam for them, Darwish, 72, was arrested Tuesday at about noon.

"She has a small hole in her shirt. We don't know if it's the bullet that did that but for sure she's not injured," said Montreal police media relations officer Benoît Lapointe on a lawn near the townhouses on Sedgefield off of St. John's Boulevard, where the incident took place.

According to Lapointe, police received a telephone call after 10:40 a.m. by the victim herself.

"We know there was an argument between the couple," Lapointe said.

At one point, he added, the husband, picked up a firearm and "shot at least once, if not more."

His wife managed to escape, Lapointe added, went to a neighbour's home and called police from there.

"What happened next is that (police) evacuated the houses (nearby). They established a security perimeter."

Not much is known about the couple, who have a son in his twenties helping out the investigation.

Earlier today, no neighbours near the home in question on Sedgefield wanted to talk to The Chronicle, all doors remaining firmly shut.

However, one witness from a nearby home who was evacuated said she was very surprised moments after the incident on Tuesday..

Christine, who did not want to reveal her last name, said the man was very nice, although not someone she has met personally. "He used to make jam for my mom," she said.

Police evacuated her at about 11 a.m.

"It felt very weird, and just unsafe," she said, although she also praised police for their diligence.

Lapointe said the home or people involved are not known to police.

Darwish appeared in court earlier today where his defence lawyer successfully argued he needs psychiatric evaluation, according to a CJAD News report. He is set to return to court in a month.