Months after promising an investigation, Quebec’s home safety minister mentioned Monday his division has began to look at allegations that police on Montreal’s South Shore acted inappropriately after an officer shot and killed a teenager in September 2025.
The executive investigation is available in response to concerns raised by Quebec’s independent police watchdog — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, or BEI — which has mentioned officers waited one hour and 36 minutes earlier than notifying the company of the demise of 15-year-old Nooran Rezayi on Sept. 21, 2025.
Throughout that 96-minute interval, officers interviewed witnesses and tried to gather video footage, the watchdog has mentioned, criticizing Longueuil police for investigating the killing of a civilian by one among their very own.
On Monday, Home Safety Minister Ian Lafrenière mentioned lawyer Michel Bouchard will examine the actions of Longueuil police after the taking pictures and may have six months to provide a report.
“I anticipate everybody to work collectively in order that we will get solutions to all of the remaining questions,” Lafrenière mentioned on Fb.
Rezayi was killed after police responded to a 911 name a few group of reportedly armed youths in a residential neighbourhood of Longueuil. The watchdog has mentioned the one gun seized on the scene belonged to the officer who shot the teenager. Nonetheless, police did seize a baseball bat, a backpack and ski masks, however no sharp-edged weapons.
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The minister had introduced his intention to launch the investigation in March, however mentioned he needed to attend till Quebec prosecutors confirmed that they had all the data they wanted from the BEI’s investigation. The watchdog accomplished its investigation in March and submitted its report back to Quebec prosecutors, who will decide whether or not legal costs are warranted.
The BEI, mandated to research when civilians are significantly injured or killed throughout police operations, declined to touch upon the minister’s announcement.
Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, a lawyer representing Rezayi’s household in a $2.2-million lawsuit towards the Metropolis of Longueuil and its police pressure, welcomed Lafrenière’s announcement however mentioned it was lengthy overdue. “It definitely took a while,” she mentioned in an interview.
Paperwork launched final yr by Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier revealed tensions between the watchdog and the police pressure over the dealing with of the case.
Within the paperwork, BEI director Brigitte Bishop criticized Longueuil police for ready 96 minutes earlier than notifying watchdog investigators. As effectively, Bishop mentioned it was inappropriate for officers to have interviewed witnesses and tried to gather video proof.
Quebec’s Police Act says the director of a police pressure should inform the BEI “immediately” if a citizen is killed or injured by a firearm utilized by a police officer.
Longueuil police on Monday declined to touch upon the investigation. They’ve maintained that their actions after the taking pictures and their delay in notifying watchdog investigators have been cheap underneath the circumstances.
Fournier, who in December had formally requested the executive investigation, mentioned Monday, “The general public’s belief in establishments requires clear, full and clear solutions.”
In a press release, Fournier mentioned Lafrenière assured her the investigation would study the conduct of the pressure’s management, compliance with authorized necessities and the circumstances surrounding the alleged shortcomings.
Within the lawsuit, the Rezayi household claims {the teenager} was shot about 10 seconds after officers arrived on the scene and alleges police used unreasonable and disproportionate pressure after they opened hearth. The allegations haven’t been examined in courtroom.
Moms for the opposite youths on the scene of the taking pictures have filed a separate, $1.9-million lawsuit towards the Metropolis of Longueuil and the police. Dufresne-Lemire mentioned the 2 lawsuits are anticipated to be joined and proceed collectively earlier than the courts.
Opposition occasion Québec solidaire criticized the timing of the executive investigation.
“We hope everybody will collaborate,” public safety critic Andrés Fontecilla mentioned in a press release. “In the meantime, the household and the Longueuil neighborhood are nonetheless ready for the choice of prosecutors following the submission of the BEI report. Justice should be accomplished for Nooran.”
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