When cops killed robbers

Roy Pidgeon, 30, was gunned down outside the National Bank at 5501 Cote des Neiges

Roy Pigeon was sporting a jaunty ski mask and hauling a .20 gauge shotgun inside the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce at 5501 Cote des Neiges at 1 p.m. on February 14, 1978. He took his sweet time inside, about five minutes in all, sufficient time for someone to furtively alert police to the presence of the lone bandit.who had nabbed $1,300 in loot. A shootout ensued and copss grazed him the leg. But he continued through an alleyway, gun blazing. So police reportedly shot him many more times, leaving a gaping hole in his head. One earwitness said he heard 20 or 30 shots fired in total that bang-bangy Valentine's afternoon. Pidgeon was brought to the nearby Jewish General Hospital but there was no chance to save his life. The two officers who killed Pidgeon were not named but at this time Robert Menard was making a name as a cop who wasn't scared to take down a bank robber, sometimes reportedly shooting first and asking questions later, so it might have been him.

Real Paquette, 23, was killed in a firefight with officer Andre Payant (bottom

Young Real Paquette, 23, must've been pretty pumped to get away from the Caisse Pop at 8050 Lacordaire in St. Leonard with $5,000 on March 17, 1977. Cops quickly tracked him down to a nearby apartment on little San Remo Ave. where a gunfight ensued. Officer Andrew Payant, a 10-year Montreal police veteran, was hit by one of Paquette's bullets and his life was later narrowly saved in hospital. But cops handled Paquette by lobbing tear gas into the home and pumping four bullets into him, ending his life.

Richard Archambault, 21, top, was merely hit by a bullet in the leg. But Jean-Pierre
Boileau, 23, was severely injured, while Gilles Boileau, 21, (not pictured) was killed robbing a bank
where this dentist office now stands.

Gilles Boileau, 21, his older brother Jean-Pierre Boileau, 24 and buddy Richard Archambault thought it a good idea to drive a rusty Mercury Cougar to the National Bank at Beaubien and Molson on Monday February 13, 1978 for a robbery, but cops had been tipped off and watched as the trio zoomed off down Molson, where they drove off into a car at the corner of Belanger. The three exited the vehicle brandishing weapons, leading police to open fire. The local constabulary permanently neutralized Gilles Boileau with a headshot and grievously injured his older brother. The third robber was only slightly grazed in the leg. The $1,000 they stole was recovered.

Irenee Dionne, killed after robbing the BMO at 946 Labelle

It was just a matter of time until Laval resident Irenee Dionne, 28, would get into trouble again after being busted for assault and weapons charges in Montreal and having released due to lack of evidence, on charges of theft and attempted murder. On Friday March 17, 1977 at 6:10 p.m. Dionne was spotted sporting a ski mask fleeing the Bank of Montreal at 946 Labelle. Dionne and a similarly-clad accomplice opened fire on a cop car containing officers Rejean Vangeehven and Sylvain Barrette. They hopped in a car where the wheel-man was at the ready and fled. But one cop pulled out the Laval police standard-issue M-1 rifle and blew a hole into Dionne's chest. He died on the scene and police recovered the $6,000 in cash and $10,000 in travelers cheques grabbed from the bank. The other two escaped. After an inquiry, a judge pointed out that none of this would have occured had Dionne simply opted to stay at home that day.