Mamadi Camara reaches settlement with City of Montreal over lawsuit

Mamadi Fara Camara, the Black Montrealer who was wrongfully arrested and detained for six days in January 2021, has reached a settlement with the city of Montreal.

In July, Camara filed a lawsuit against the city and the Attorney General of Quebec for misconduct by Montreal police officers and criminal prosecutors, suing for $1.2 million.

On Wednesday, his lawyer Virginie Dufresne-Lemire announced a settlement was reached, putting an end to the legal process.

Dufresne-Lemire said in a press release that Camara won’t disclose the amount of the settlement in order to protect his privacy.

“In discussion with the family, we were able to come up with an agreement that both parties are satisfied with,” says city councillor Alain Vaillancourt. “They’ll be able to move on with the next phase of his life and put this behind him.”

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On Jan. 28, 2021, Camara, then a 31-year-old PhD student, was arrested and accused of having disarmed and shot police officer Sanjay Vig, who had pulled him over for using a cellphone while driving. Which happened before Vig was attacked by someone else.

Camara was detained until Feb. 3 and was charged with attempted murder, assaulting a police officer and disarming a police officer. He was ultimately exonerated and cleared of all charges on Feb. 5.

In March, police arrested Ali Ngarukiye, 21, in Toronto, after DNA evidence collected from the scene pointed them to him – once again fully clearing Camara of any wrongdoing.

“Mr. Camara would like to thank the people of Quebec for their incredible support they have demonstrated to him over the past year,” says lawyer Dufresne-Lemire. “This support has been an important source of comfort for Mr. Camara and his loved ones.”