BEI launches 2 investigations into Montreal police over the weekend
SPVM involved in a fatal shooting Saturday, while man died after police intervention Sunday
Quebec's police watchdog is investigating two separate Montreal police operations that resulted in death over the weekend.
The first investigation was triggered by a fatal shooting involving the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) in the Ville-Marie borough Saturday night.
Montreal police were responding to a 911 call regarding a person armed with a firearm inside an apartment building, said the bureau of independent investigations, known by its French acronym BEI.
Officers arrived at Saint-Hubert Street around 9 p.m., police said.
When they headed toward the apartment, they "made contact" with the individual, according to the BEI's preliminary information. The BEI says police then fired in their direction and that person was injured by gunfire.
The police officers provided first aid until paramedics arrived, the BEI added. The person was pronounced dead at the scene.
The agency investigates cases where someone is killed or seriously injured during a police operation.
Six BEI investigators are analyzing the circumstances surrounding the intervention.
Man in crisis dies following police intervention
The BEI is also investigating the role of police in the death of a man Sunday morning.
Montreal police were called to the Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension borough just after 8 a.m. on Sunday. They were responding to a 911 call concerning a person in crisis behind a residence, according to the BEI's preliminary information.
Two officers responded to the call and came face-to-face with a man, according to SPVM spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron.
A physical altercation occurred between the man and police officers. After that, the officers allegedly restrained the man, who then suffered from a "malaise" and lost consciousness, says the BEI in a French-language press release.
The man received first aid before an ambulance arrived at 8:18 a.m. He was transported to hospital where he was declared dead.
The BEI has allocated six investigators to look into the circumstances around this police intervention.
With files from Rowan Kennedy