The chief of police in Longueuil, Quebec, allegedly provided Quebec police officials with erroneous information about the fatal police shooting of a 15-year-old, according to documents.
Now Catherine Fournier, the mayor of the South Bank municipality, is asking Quebec's Minister of Public Security to investigate Police Chief Patrick Bélanger and the Longueuil police.
Nouran Rezaie, a high school student, was shot and killed in September after police responded to a 911 call reporting a group of armed men in the Longueuil area.
His family says he was unarmed and had only a backpack filled with school books. Watchdog, Independent Investigations Office (BEI) has since confirmed that no firearm was found in the teenager's possession.
According to emails released Thursday by the city of Longueuil, BEI Director Bridget Bishop contacted Bélanger on Nov. 5 and asked him why it took his police one hour and 36 minutes to tell a police monitor about the fatal shooting of Nouran.
In the email, Bishop says the teen was shot by police at approximately 2:58 p.m. that day, but BEI was not informed until 4:34 p.m.
In the email, Bishop said she believed all criteria for launching an independent investigation were met once Nooran was taken to the hospital.
Instead, Longueuil police began their own investigation, interviewing witnesses at the scene between 3:26 p.m. and 6:22 p.m.
The mayor of Longueuil, Quebec, has asked the province's public security minister to investigate the city's police force after the release of documents alleging police provided erroneous information to Quebec's police watchdog after one of its officers fatally shot a 15-year-old in September.
The head of the BEI does not agree with the explanations of the chief of police
In a Nov. 11 email in response to Bishop, Belanger explained that officers had to meet with witnesses due to the nature of the 911 call, which reported the presence of several individuals dressed in black, wearing hoods, masks and carrying guns in a residential area.
Bélanger argued that officers must do whatever is necessary to ensure that there is no danger.
In addition, at 15:26, he reported that the police received information about the presence of an armed young man several kilometers from the scene of the incident.
He said the purpose of meeting with witnesses was to ensure that the area where Nouran was killed was safe.
In response, Bishop disputed Bélanger's explanations because they were inconsistent with the BEI's information.
First, she said, the possible presence of a “second armed young man” several kilometers away is not supported by any evidence available to her team. She reminded the police chief that all subsequent 911 calls logged between 3:11 and 3:26 p.m. were quickly invalidated.
Bishop added that SPAL carried out an investigation that should have been the responsibility of the BEI. She cited examples of officers meeting with multiple witnesses, taking statements and searching for surveillance video and witnesses.
“These interviews included questions directly related to events involving your own police force, which raises serious questions regarding the apparent independence of the investigation,” Bishop wrote to Belanger in another Nov. 25 email.
“We subsequently had to reassure some witnesses and repeat several of those interviews.”
The mayor expressed concern in a public statement
In a press release Thursday afternoon, Fournier said she learned of “very serious information” that was shared with her on Nov. 19 and Nov. 26.
Information contained in letters sent by Bishop to Belanger “reveals several alleged breaches of SPAL's legal and regulatory obligations following the events following the tragic death of Nouran Rezaia.”
“Trust in our institutions is at the core of my political commitment. In September I called for transparency from the BEI. The same transparency must apply to SPAL,” she said in a statement.
“Light must be shed on the sequence of events to preserve the credibility of the organization and identify the reasons for any shortcomings.”
Bélanger was informed of the mayor's actions and promised that police would fully cooperate with the investigation, the press release said. CBC News contacted Longueuil police to request an interview with Bélanger but did not receive a response.
Late Thursday, however, Longueuil police released a statement saying Belanger reported the alleged procedural violations to the city as soon as they were discovered.
By pledging to cooperate with the BEI investigation and any provincial investigation, SPAL hopes to shed light on this development, the statement said. SPAL intends to continue its mission while maintaining transparency and “the high standards of professionalism for which it is known,” it said.
Quebec Public Security Minister Yann Lafrenière said he is reviewing Fournier's request for an investigation into the matter.
Later on Thursday, the Rezai family's lawyers, Fernando Belton and Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, released a joint statement saying they were “deeply shocked” by the news.
“We see this as a clear attempt by SPAL to interfere with the BEI investigation in order to protect its colleagues, in violation of the law and fundamental principles of justice,” the lawyers said.
They say such police behavior “cannot go unpunished” and will adjust their lawsuit accordingly.
On Tuesday, Rezaei's family announced they were suing the city and police.
