Matthew Pearce, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, is expected to meet with Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet to discuss an altercation that resulted in a homeless man being shot by authorities.
“This is the fourth such incident in about four or five years and I’m left wondering, as so many other Montrealers are, ‘Could there have been some other outcome?’” he said.
The meeting is expected to take place Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
READ MORE: Old Brewery Mission CEO speaks out after Montreal police-involved shooting
Pearce told Global News he expects to discuss the shooting, which took place outside the Old Brewery Mission, as well as an altercation that happened inside the building between a police officer and a homeless man hours after the shooting.
He revealed the mission’s security cameras captured footage of the altercation.
Pearce said he wants to show it to the chief first and get his reaction.
WATCH BELOW: Matthew Pearce talks about efforts to make to improve relations between Montreal’s homeless and the police.
He hopes Pichet will agree to allow the the Old Brewery Mission to help train Montreal police officers on how to better communicate with the homeless and the mentally ill — something he says he’s proposed several times.
“There is, generally speaking, very low trust between the homeless population and the police,” he said.
“We deal with conflict situations with the homeless population really on a daily basis and we manage it very differently. Our approach is very different than the police.”
READ MORE: Armed man shot and killed by Montreal police
Quebec’s bureau of independent investigations (BEI) is looking into the incident.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
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