Quebec’s police watchdog unit says it is investigating a fatal drowning that happened during a Montreal police (SPVM) intervention early Tuesday morning.
A release from the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) says authorities first received a 911 call at 3:30 a.m. for a person in crisis near Ahuntsic Park in the city’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.
Police say they arrived just four minutes later at 3:34 a.m. and found the person in the park’s pond. They say they contacted the fire department three minutes later at 3:37 a.m.
Officers say they tried saving the victim at 3:43 a.m. but it was ultimately the fire department who took the person out of the water and rushed them to hospital where they were declared dead.
“The mission of the Independent Investigation Bureau is to shed full light on the facts surrounding the police intervention,” the bureau’s statement said.
Five agents will be assigned to look into the circumstances of the incident.
No information regarding the victim’s gender or age have been disclosed by officials.
The bureau investigates all cases in the province where a person other than an on-duty police officer dies or is injured by a firearm used by an officer during a police intervention or while in the custody of a police force.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is encouraged to contact investigators.