Quebec opens investigation into police response after officer shot and killed teen

MONTREAL — Months after promising an investigation, Quebec’s domestic security minister said Monday his department has started to examine allegations that police on Montreal’s South Shore acted inappropriately after an officer shot and killed a teenager in September 2025.

The administrative investigation comes in response to concerns raised by Quebec’s independent police watchdog — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, or BEI — which has said officers waited one hour and 36 minutes before notifying the agency of the death of 15-year-old Nooran Rezayi on Sept. 21, 2025.

During that 96-minute period, officers interviewed witnesses and tried to collect video footage, the watchdog has said, criticizing Longueuil police for investigating the killing of a civilian by one of their own.

On Monday, Domestic Security Minister Ian Lafrenière said lawyer Michel Bouchard will investigate the actions of Longueuil police after the shooting and will have six months to produce a report.

“I expect everyone to work together so that we can get answers to all the remaining questions,” Lafrenière said on Facebook.

Rezayi was killed after police responded to a 911 call about a group of reportedly armed youths in a residential neighbourhood of Longueuil. The watchdog has said the only gun seized at the scene belonged to the officer who shot the teen. However, police did seize a baseball bat, a backpack and ski masks, but no sharp-edged weapons.

The minister had announced his intention to launch the investigation in March, but said he wanted to wait until Quebec prosecutors confirmed they had all the information they needed from the BEI’s investigation. The watchdog completed its investigation in March and submitted its report to Quebec prosecutors, who will determine whether criminal charges are warranted.

The BEI, mandated to investigate when civilians are seriously injured or killed during police operations, declined to comment on the minister’s announcement.

Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, a lawyer representing Rezayi’s family in a $2.2-million lawsuit against the City of Longueuil and its police force, welcomed Lafrenière’s announcement but said it was long overdue. “It certainly took some time,” she said in an interview.

Documents released last year by Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier revealed tensions between the watchdog and the police force over the handling of the case.

In the documents, BEI director Brigitte Bishop criticized Longueuil police for waiting 96 minutes before notifying watchdog investigators. As well, Bishop said it was inappropriate for officers to have interviewed witnesses and attempted to collect video evidence.

Quebec’s Police Act says the director of a police force must inform the BEI “without delay” if a citizen is killed or injured by a firearm used by a police officer.

Longueuil police on Monday declined to comment on the investigation. They have maintained that their actions after the shooting and their delay in notifying watchdog investigators were reasonable under the circumstances.

Fournier, who in December had formally requested the administrative investigation, said Monday, “The public’s trust in institutions requires clear, complete and transparent answers.”

In a statement, Fournier said Lafrenière assured her the investigation would examine the conduct of the force’s leadership, compliance with legal requirements and the circumstances surrounding the alleged shortcomings.

In the lawsuit, the Rezayi family claims the teenager was shot about 10 seconds after officers arrived at the scene and alleges police used unreasonable and disproportionate force when they opened fire. The allegations have not been tested in court.

Mothers for the other youths at the scene of the shooting have filed a separate, $1.9-million lawsuit against the City of Longueuil and the police. Dufresne-Lemire said the two lawsuits are expected to be joined and proceed together before the courts.

Opposition party Québec solidaire criticized the timing of the administrative investigation.

“We hope everyone will collaborate,” public security critic Andrés Fontecilla said in a statement. “Meanwhile, the family and the Longueuil community are still waiting for the decision of prosecutors following the submission of the BEI report. Justice must be done for Nooran.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2026.

Charlotte Glorieux, The Canadian Press