Montreal's Chinese community demands answers after man was killed by police
CBC
Two months after her brother Ronny was shot and killed by Montreal police, Michelle Kay and her family are still waiting for answers and condolences from authorities.
"The system is not made for the family to have normal grieving," Kay told CBC at a rally Sunday that drew dozens of people to Sun Yat-sen Park in Chinatown.
"You don't just kill somebody then leave the family on their own."
In the initial report from Quebec's police watchdog, a 911 caller said a man was walking around with what appeared to be a handgun.
The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) officer who responded to the call shot Ronny after he pointed the object in the direction of the officer, the report said.
He died shortly after being transported to hospital.
Guy Lapointe, a spokesperson for the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), later said the man was carrying an imitation gun.
The 38-year-old's death is being investigated by the BEI, who say they have been in touch with the family but cannot give any information as their inquiry is ongoing.
But that excuse isn't good enough for the Kay family, who say they don't know what happened during the police intervention.
"It's normal we're asking questions. You cannot just steal somebody from us and not give us any information," said Michelle Kay.
She says Montreal police only contacted her family once, right after her brother's death, and since then she hasn't heard from anyone other than a BEI investigator.
Kay said she was told it would take at least three months to complete the watchdog's report, and even longer if a coroner's inquest is launched.
Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, the family's lawyer, said a lack of transparency in investigations and an unwillingness to acknowledge trauma causes families of those killed by police to lose trust in the authorities.
That mistrust only grows as they wait for answers that seemingly aren't coming, she said.
