Repentigny police officers who shot and killed Black man in 2021 will not face charges

The Repentigny police officers who shot and killed a Black man on Aug. 1, 2021 will not face charges.

Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office (DCPC) released a statement explaining the decision on Thursday.

Jean René Junior Olivier, 37, was shot and killed by police after they were called to his mother’s home in Repentigny, east of Montreal.

The mother called police because she said her son was holding a knife and hallucinating – and she feared for his safety and hers.

She had also said she believed the race of her son played a role in the police intervention, stating her son had dropped the knife and that police firing shots was not necessary.

The Red Coalition released a statement on Friday: “It is extremely sad that the family will suffer yet another blow by not seeing justice. They will be burdened with heartache forever, as no one will ever be held accountable for the untimely death of their loved one. It’s important that officers sensitize themselves to the distress signals of mental health when intercepting or apprehending an individual. At the end of the day the officers and those involved got to go home to their families and were able to move on with their lives unfortunately, we cannot say the same for Junior’s family.”

Junior’s mother added, “I will be overwhelmed forever by the loss of my son, because no one will ever be held accountable for the death premature birth of my child. This decision further damaged the family’s confidence in the Repentigny police.”

For Junior’s mother, the timing of this decision is monumental.

“Making this decision expressly during Black History Month is interpreted as a message that black life is not taken seriously in Quebec. We find that in the majority of cases where black people are killed by the police, there is no charges against the police officers involved.

“This tragedy that struck our family and the black community of Repentigny reminds us of the urgency to act. We must join forces to find ways to address the systemic racism that has risen in the Repentigny police force for several years.”

In a statement Quebec’s Crown prosecutor’s office said “after examining the investigation report by the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), the DPCP concludes the analysis of the proof does not show a criminal infraction was committed by the police officers of the Service de police de la Ville de Repentigny.”

The statement provides a detailed breakdown of the events on Aug. 1, 2021.

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It states Oliver dropped and picked up the knife several times for 15 minutes as police officers calmly tried to get him to step away from the weapon.

The statement by the DPCP says right before the shooting, Oliver picked the knife back up again and charged police officers, who were about five meters from him. Two police officers fired at him. Paramedics already on the scene tried to reanimate him. His death was pronounced in hospital.

The statement specifies that the intervention was filmed by paramedics who were on the scene and had a “practically unobstructed view.”

It continues to say “the police intervention was legal and based on their duty to protect citizens as well as their own security.”

Oliver’s death had shocked the Black community in Repentigny who have accused local police of several instances of racial profiling.