• Four separate stabbing incidents in the Montreal area marked a bloody start to 2020.
• In total five people were injured, two fatally.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

It's only January 2 and Montreal area police are already investigating two separate murders, marking a gruesome start to the new year. Two fatal stabbings, one on New Year's Eve and the other in the evening of January 1, left two young men dead. On December 31, a 26-year-old Montreal man was stabbed in the upper body after an altercation on the corner of rues Sainte-Catherine and Guy in downtown Montreal. The suspects quickly fled the scene.

After first responders rushed him to the hospital, the man, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

The motives behind the attack and the reasons for the altercation are currently unknown. Montreal police are currently investigating and looking for suspects. 

The downtown stabbing was reported as the last homicide of 2019, bringing the total number of homicides in Montreal last year to 25. In 2018, there were 32 reported homicides. 

Then, on New Year's Day, a 15-year-old teenage boy was rushed to the hospital after he was attacked with a stabbing weapon by a group of teenage boys.

The incident occurred at Parc Marc-Aurèle-Fortin in Laval, according to reports. His tragic end came after a group of adolescents got into a fight.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old suspect and are investigating the cause of the altercation. 

The two fatal incidents serve as a stark reminder that the holidays aren't always cheerful.

Local police are quite busy to start the new year, in fact. Early Wednesday morning, two victims were injured in stabbing incidents in Lachine. 

A woman was found with stab wounds in a housing complex in the borough at around 6:20 a.m., according to police.

She was brought to the hospital and is recovering from her injuries but reportedly will not cooperate with the SPVM.

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The second victim was found outside with similar injuries.

The 23-year-old man was rushed to the hospital and is in stable condition. He too is being uncooperative with the SPVM. 

On New Year's Eve, a 20-year-old man was stabbed in an altercation between several suspects in Griffintown, according to the SPVM. The incident occurred on the corner of Robert-Bourassa and Ottawa. 

The victim was transported to the hospital and is recovering from his wounds. No suspects have been arrested in connection to this incident. 

For local police forces, it has certainly been a busy start to the new year. Hopefully, the trend does not continue.

Stay tuned for more updates on these developing stories.