Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating after officers opened fire against a suspect in the Eastern Townships.
Shooting took place 5 a.m. Wednesday at residence in small Eastern Townships town
Verity Stevenson · CBC News
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Quebec’s police watchdog is investigating after provincial police shot and injured a man in the Eastern Townships.
According to Radio-Canada sources, the man had allegedly made threats on social media against Premier François Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The shooting happened at 5 a.m. Wednesday in Scotstown. Sûreté du Québec officers were on scene to arrest the man when one officer saw through a window that he was holding a gun, said the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI).
When police entered the home, the man pointed the gun at them. The police opened fire on him, wounding him, the BEI preliminary report says.
Scotstown is a town 200 kilometres east of Montreal, with a population under 500, near the United States border with Vermont and Maine.
The injured man was taken to hospital by ambulance. In a news release published Wednesday afternoon, the BEI said the man remains in hospital in stable condition. The BEI itself did not release any details about the man, including his age, nor would it confirm whether he was accused of making threats.
Meanwhile, Montreal police have opened a parallel criminal investigation into the events.
The premier’s office released a short statement, saying any threats against elected officials are unacceptable.
The BEI investigates when someone is injured or killed during a police intervention.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Verity Stevenson is a reporter with CBC in Montreal. She has previously worked for the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star in Toronto, and the Telegraph-Journal in Saint John.
With files from Radio-Canada
