Parents of Montreal teen dispute police claim he committed suicide in DDO park, want investigation reopened

The parents of Emmanuel Diafouka feel something’s not adding up.

The 18-year-old man was found dead in a park in Dollard-des-Ormeaux on Jan. 30. After initially determining Diafouka’s death was suspicious, Montreal police later concluded he committed suicide.

But the man’s loved ones are “strongly rejecting” that conclusion. They argue the SPVM probe was “incomplete and hasty” — completed in less than a week — and claim investigators did not speak to several relevant witnesses or consider key pieces of evidence.

“There’s no way that Emmanuel could have killed himself. Emmanuel had so many plans,” said his sister Helena Diafouka.

They are demanding police reopen the investigation and intend to make a formal appeal to the SPVM by Thursday.

“We have many questions on which we need a response from the police,” the man’s father Jean-François Diafouka said.

---

One of the key pieces of evidence, according to the family, is an alleged Snapchat phone call made from Diafouka’s phone that night at 8:32 p.m. when police reportedly concluded Diafouka died at 8:33 p.m. His parents say the phone was found at Diafouka’s home, a roughly 10-minute walk from the park.

His parents are also questioning the investigation methods. They claim Diafouka’s girlfriend and close friends were never interviewed, and that police concluded the investigation without waiting for the results of ballistics tests.

“We’re really struck by the fact that his close friends, his ex, weren’t even interviewed by the investigator,” said Fo Niemi, the executive director at the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR).

Diafouka’s parents are also questioning the police’s conclusions based on their son’s character in the lead-up to his death. His mother says her son loved life and showed no signs of depression.

“I knew my son very well, and until the evening before his death, nothing suggested suicide,” said his mother Chimene Moumpala. “It’s unthinkable and impossible that he shot himself in the forehead.

“He spent more and more time talking about his plans in Congo and France, and about plans with his girlfriend. My family has valid reasons to believe that Emmanuel was murdered.”

The family is also wondering how Diafouka would have obtained a gun.

“There are too many important unresolved questions and circumstances unclear from the SPVM,” said Jean-François. “Why such an incomplete and hasty investigation? We owe answers.”

According to CRARR, police investigators claim surveillance camera near the park showed Diafouka entering the area alone, that an audio recording captured a sound consistent with a gunshot, and that no other person was seen in the park at the time.

“To this day, they still don’t know what weapon was used to shoot that bullet,” said Niemi. “They don’t even know the angle of the bullet. They don’t even know how the wound was because all these things could indicate whether Emmanuel could physically handle a weapon. And they never heard of him touching a firearm before.”

Authorities also reportedly claim Diafouka took his own life following an argument with his girlfriend.

“It’s really hard for his girlfriend to think that they say that he killed himself because of her,” said his sister Helene. “In reality, the issue was fixed.”

A Montreal police spokesperson told CityNews in a brief statement the evidence gathered during the investigation confirmed Diafouka’s death was “not a criminal act” but police could not provide more details “for confidentiality reasons.”

The spokesperson added the investigative team remains in contact with the Diafouka family.