MONTREAL – After half a decade of waiting, a Quebec coroner’s report has determined that an unarmed teenager shot by a Montreal police officer in August 2008 most likely died from bullets.
“There were several human factors involved” began the report from the Quebec Coroner’s Office. “The activation of the trigger mechanism of a gun, the unlikeliness of a human being quick enough to avoid bullets being fired at close range, and the irreversible effects of bullets on the human body were all factors in this complicated case. The inquest quickly ruled out any existing chronic or infectious diseases, though there was some ongoing debate about the victim spontaneously dying of West Nile virus at the very moment that police arrived to enforce a community by-law.”
“With 87 percent certainty, the Quebec Coroner’s Office places the blame on metal projectiles propelled by gunpowder and ignited by a firearm.”
The Montreal police union and the City of Montreal immediately took issues with the report’s conclusion that the 18 year-old who was playing dice with his brother and friends was killed by bullets.
“We reject these findings” said Yves Franceour, President of Fraternité des policiers et policières de Montréal. “According to our officers at the scene – who were viciously intimidated by these heavily unarmed boys – the victim had a pre-existing medical condition.”
The coroner’s next report will examine why it took so long to release this report, which is expected to be delayed until well past 2029.
