Decision to not charge Quebec officers in son's death tied to racial inequity, family says

Marie Mireille Bence says she and her family have lost trust in police and the justice system after learning the police officers who shot and killed her son in Repentigny, Que., will not face criminal charges.

"I will forever be devastated by the loss of my son because no one will ever be held responsible," said Bence in a statement.

Jean René Junior Olivier, 37, was shot on Aug. 1, 2021, after police were called to his mother's home in the municipality located just east of Montreal.

Because her son was hallucinating and holding a knife, which made her worry for his safety, Bence called 911. She never anticipated her son's death.

The family is deeply dismayed by the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP)'s decision, saying they are left with a sense of injustice toward Black people in an area where relations with police are already fraught.

In a statement, the family points out that the decision was rendered during Black History Month.

"We've noticed that in the majority of cases where Black people are killed by police, there are no charges against the officers involved," the family said in a statement.

"We think it's important to take measures to ensure that Black and Indigenous people are treated equitably by police and have their rights respected."

The DPCP insisted in Thursday's decision that there was no criminal infraction committed when the officers shot and killed Olivier. It said the decision was made after reviewing video footage of the incident. Though the video is not publicly available, the DPCP said it gave the family the opportunity to review it.

"Police officers are often placed in situations where they must act quickly and make difficult decisions. In this context, it cannot be demanded that they precisely measure the degree of force applied," it said.

"In this case, the police intervention was legal and was based mainly on the duty imposed on the police officers to ensure — from the first moments until the end of the sequence of shootings — the safety of the citizens under their protection as well as their own security."

The decision states that Olivier had charged toward the officers with a knife, but Bence maintains that her son had dropped the knife and that firing shots was not necessary. She said she believes race played a role in her son's death.

The family is demanding for better investigative practices into police killings and the establishment of transparency measures into the inquests.

"The tragedy hitting our family and the Black community of Repentigny reminds us of the urgency to act," said the family.