The City of Longueuil is opposing a legal request to make public the identity of the police officer who shot 15-year-old Nooran Rezayi, citing security concerns.
Rezayi died following a police intervention in Longueuil on Sept. 21, 2025. Lawyers representing his family are asking that the names and badge numbers of the two police officers who were present during the intervention be made public.
The City of Longueuil, who is the employer of the Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil (SPAL), is asking that the names be confidential for safety reasons. They cite an image that was circulating on Instagram of the suspected police officer which indicated $2,000 would be paid for their death. A minor has since been charged with criminal harassment.
That information is contained in legal documents provided to the media.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), which is investigating the shooting, is also asking that the officer’s identity not be made public, citing concerns about the investigation.
If the city loses the motion and the names can be released, the City of Longueuil wants there to be a temporary order censoring the names until the officers are criminally charged, or 30 days after prosecutors decide not to file charges.
“They really have to bring evidence that their life is really in danger, the safety of the family, safety of the police force,” said lawyer Kwadwo Yeboah.
“You need to be able to know who you need to interview, who did what. And if you don’t have these names, it’s kind of very difficult for you to go forward with your case.”
Legal experts say publication bans on information like names are generally meant to protect public safety. So if the City of Longueuil wants to censor the officers’ identities, it will have to convince the court that the death threats against them pose a risk to the community.
The threshold for restricting information related to police is also an exceptionally high one.
“Police officers too are serving the public,” Yeboah said.
“So they might be able to stretch it out to that.”
In March, the BEI submitted its final report to Crown prosecutors, which will decide whether or not to charge the officers criminally.
Family lawsuit claims excessive violence
On that late September day in 2025, police were called to reports of a group of people in public who were allegedly armed. When officers arrived, one of them fired and struck Rezayi, who later died in hospital
Censoring the officers’ names and the criminal charges against them aren’t the only legal proceedings stemming from Rezayi’s death.
His family launched a civil lawsuit against the city and SPAL, claiming the officers’ response used excessive violence.
“From the moment that the police officer stopped his vehicle to the moment that he actually shot Nooran, it took 10 seconds. That’s extremely rapid,” the family’s lawyer Fernando Belton said on Dec. 9, 2025, when the lawsuit was filed.
The officer who shot Rezayi has been placed on indefinite sick leave.
The next session to determine whether to censor the officers’ names will take place on the week of Oct. 5.
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