20-year-old man charged with second-degree murder in stabbing death

CTV Ottawa: Violent weekend of crime One suspect charged, another at large after two unrelated homicides in the Capital

A 20-year-old man is facing a second-degree murder charge after a man was stabbed to death on Meadowlands Drive early Sunday morning.

Jorden Larocque-Laplante appeared in court on Monday, a day after Abdullah Al-Tutunji, 20, was stabbed outside a McDonald's restaurant near Hog's Back Park.

Ottawa Police were called to the intersection near Meadowlands Dr. and Prince of Wales Dr. around 2:45 a.m. after reports of a stabbing.

“The altercation began inside the McDonald's involving two or three males. That altercation spilled out into the parking lot where one male was stabbed fatally,” said Insp. Glenn Wasson.

Online Al-Tutunji posted on Facebook that he was a student at Carleton University studying environmental engineering.

Paramedics said Al-Tutunji was found suffering from "multiple penetrating trauma wounds" and was pronounced dead in hospital.

Larocque-Laplante was also taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries. He appeared to have a limp while appearing in court via video. He also appeared to have a cut on his face.

He'll be back in court on December 19th.

This marks the 22nd homicide of 2016 and the second homicide of the weekend.

On Saturday, 32-year-old Lee Germain was shot and killed inside an apartment building on McLeod Street near Bronson.

Police Chief Charles Bordeleau tweeted Sunday: “Another two senseless deaths this weekend. @OttawaPolice members hard at work holding those accountable. Too many lives lost this year.”

While the number of homicides has tripled since last year, Bordeleau said the number of gangs in Ottawa remains unchanged.

“Just under half the homicides and the shootings are gang related, but what is common amongst all of them is that people are using violence much quicker and it is extreme violence,” he said.

The Major Crime Unit confirms the two homicides this weekend were not gang related.