MONTREAL- The police officer who fatally shot Fredy Villanueva made a rare appearance at the Montreal courthouse today to hear closing arguments at an inquest examining the causes and circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.
But it is unlikely that Constable Jean-Loup Lapointe liked what he heard from Alexandre Popovic, a non-lawyer representing the Coalition Against Repression and Police Abuse.
"We think that Jean-Loup Lapointe is a danger to the public," Popovic told Coroner André Perreault. "We would like you to recommend to the city of Montreal that they dismiss Mr. Lapointe."
Popovic said that Lapointe "was drunk with a sense of impunity" in Aug. 2008 when he arrested Dany Villanueva after seeing a group of youths playing dice in the parking lot of an arena in Montreal North.
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Popovic maintains that Lapointe was too aggressive when he approached Dany Villanueva.
"He is the only one responsible for the escalation of violence," Popovic said.
The shootings triggered street riots in Montreal North.
During Monday’s testimony, Lapointe sat at the back of the courtroom with his former police partner, Stéphanie Pilotte, who was with him that night in Aug. 2008 when Lapointe fired four bullets, killing Fredy Villanueva and injuring two other youths.
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Last March, Lapointe testified that he fired the shots because he feared for his life and thought he would be disarmed.
François Bérard, of the Mouvement Solidarité Montréal-Nord, a coalition of community groups in the neighbourhood, said Lapointe isn’t the only person who reacted poorly that night.
Bérard said Dany Villanueva shouldn’t have resisted arrest and Fredy Villanueva should have refrained from approaching Lapointe as he was arresting his brother.
Pierre-Yves Boisvert, the lawyer representing the city of Montreal, defended the actions of Lapointe and Pilotte, saying they did what was asked of them.
"We contend that the arrest (of Dany Villanueva) was legal," he said. "It was the behaviour of Dany and Fredy Villanueva that explains the use of force."
The closing arguments continue Tuesday.
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