No criminal charges for Montreal police in July 2022 armed confrontation after independent investigation
The Crown prosecutor ruled Monday that SPVM officers acted within the law when the suspect shot himself in the leg during a foot pursuit near rue Saint-Mathieu.
Sources · Quebec Nouvelles
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Montreal police officers will not face criminal charges stemming from a July 13, 2022 incident near rue Saint-Mathieu in which a man shot himself while fleeing from officers, the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions announced Monday.
The incident unfolded when a 911 call came in at 23h46 for an armed man in the area. Two officers were dispatched and located a man matching the dispatch description. When officers ordered him to show his hands and stop, the man did not comply. One officer observed the man had a firearm in his right hand.
As officers moved toward him, the man accelerated and fled into an alley. The foot pursuit lasted several minutes, with a civilian woman positioned between the officers and the man at one point. While running, the man turned and fired one shot toward the officers. One officer was struck by a projectile in the calf and fell to the ground. The man fired a second shot and fled, but officers located him hidden in bushes and arrested him. He had a leg injury and was transported by ambulance to hospital.
The Bureau of Independent Investigations submitted its report to the Crown prosecutor. The Crown conducted a full examination of evidence to evaluate whether it revealed any criminal infractions by the officers. On March 1, 2023, the prosecutor issued an interim statement concluding no criminal offence was committed by the SPVM.
The Crown prosecutor confirmed Monday that the judicial review is now complete. The analysis of evidence revealed no commission of criminal infractions by SPVM officers. The prosecutor stated that the man inflicted the leg injury on himself by shooting himself in the leg while running—police did not fire during the intervention. The prosecutor noted that intervention by the officers was legal under Article 48 of the Police Act and that police did not use force during apprehension.
The prosecutor informed the injured person of the decision. The source material does not state the man's identity, the criminal charges he faces from the incident, or his trial outcome, or the full findings of the independent investigation.
The facts
When did the armed confrontation near rue Saint-Mathieu occur?
The incident took place on July 13, 2022, after a 911 call came in at 23h46 reporting an armed man in the area.
How did the man injure his leg during the incident?
The man shot himself in the leg while running from officers; police did not fire during the intervention.
When did the Crown prosecutor complete its review?
The Crown issued an interim statement on March 1, 2023, and confirmed on Monday, September 14, 2026, that the judicial review was complete.
