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The bold daylight killing of a prominent Montreal underworld figure inside a outlying Starbucks recently could signal a new, more chaotic and aggressive climate when it comes to underworld activities, observers say.

Power Vacuum Developing

The apprehensions of alleged top-level, older members of the city's organized crime in June has likely resulted in a vacuum – meaning newer, less experienced gangs are working to secure territory.

Violent Attack Particulars

Police reported at a press briefing that they were dispatched to a Starbucks in Laval, Quebec at about mid-morning on Wednesday because of reports of a gunfire inside the establishment. A single individual was fatally shot and two others were injured.

Targeted Person

While police have not officially identified the deceased's identity, various Canadian media outlets have reported the man fatally shot was a convicted narcotics dealer, 40, also known by an nickname. The individual was the chief of a organization operating in the area.

Authority Comments

The government representative stated: "Available information points to it being an act linked to criminal organizations."

The law enforcement leader informed media that while he could not comment on the case, he knows the man targeted due to his "criminal record". "This person is connected to criminal networks," he noted.

Previous Activities

The victim was first connected formally to criminal activity in the mid-2000s when police in Montreal apprehended him and several accomplices in a illegal substance investigation. He ultimately pleading guilty on substance charges and was sentenced to two years in prison.

According to reports, the man was detained for a subsequent occasion in 2009, again for narcotics distribution, and was afterwards handed to another half-decade in prison.

Criminologist Perspective

A criminology professor said that criminal organizations in the area used to be characterised around showing discretion over public violence and depended on a clear chain of command.

An brazen midday assassination at a coffee shop chain points to there may not be a dominant force keeping order – as violence could impact operations when it comes to drug trafficking, said the expert.

Structural Collapse

The professor said it is plausible that the faction which targeted the gang leader simply "showed disregard" about the visible exhibition of force in order to eliminate their quarry.

But the expert thinks more likely is there has been a loss of structure and dominance within underworld activities in Montreal, related to substantial detentions of the alleged heads of local criminal networks made in June.

Major Apprehensions

After a 36-month inquiry, police took into custody an suspected organized crime boss and indicted him with homicide and other connected offences.

Current Situation

The current apprehensions were considered as the last "decisive blow" for the long-standing criminal structure, commented the analyst.

It has resulted in a hole that emerging urban organizations are looking to occupy. The Wednesday's violence is an indication of an unstable, changing landscape, he said.

"There is kind of this plethora of minor, not super well-organised gangs ... that are vying for dominance," he concluded.