Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating after three men were injured in an exchange of gunfire involving police in Montreal’s Dollard-des-Ormeaux neighbourhood late Sunday.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) said it launched a probe around 10:45 p.m. and Quebec provincial police will undertake their own parallel criminal investigation.
Montreal police were first called to a residence where gunshots were heard during a dispute, according to preliminary information obtained by the BEI.
The BEI said a man reportedly involved in the dispute left the home on foot and allegedly pointed a gun at a driver. The driver left the scene and the man then approached a second vehicle near where three other people were standing.
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When Montreal police arrived at the scene, there was an exchange of gunfire between officers and the man.
The BEI said the man was shot, but his condition is considered stable as of Monday afternoon.
Two other men near the vehicle were seriously injured in the shooting. They are expected to survive, according to the police watchdog.
Seven independent investigators are assigned to the case. Created in 2013, the BEI is mandated to investigate when a person or an officer dies or is seriously injured during a police intervention or while in custody.
Quebec provincial police set up a command post at the scene Monday afternoon as part of their own investigation.
Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting to contact them on the BEI’s website.
— with files from Global’s Felicia Parrillo and The Canadian Press