The Bureau des enquêtes indépendentes (BEI) is investigating after provincial police responded to reports of an armed man barricaded inside a home on Shamrock Street in Pincourt
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirmed earlier that a police operation that started at around midnight Thursday came to an end between 6:30 and 7 a.m. Friday.
A preliminary report issued by the BEI — Quebec’s police watchdog — states the 43-year-old man was threatening to harm himself and had allegedly poured gasoline inside the home.
A perimeter was set up around the home, in an area that includes an elementary school.
SQ officers attempted unsuccessfully to make contact with the man all through the night.
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SQ spokesperson Ingrid Asselin said the operation came to an end when the man in the home was found unconscious and was rushed to hospital.
The BEI has since confirmed the man was pronounced dead in hospital.
St. Patrick Elementary School announced that despite the incident, it would be open for the day.
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In a message on the school’s Facebook page the school’s principal, Mr. Rabinovitch, reassured parents.
“The safety of our students, staff and community is our main concern and we have been assured that the area around the school building is clear and that it is safe to enter the school this morning,” he wrote.
“I have been informed that there will be a police presence around the school throughout the day. I will continue to be in touch with the Sûreté du Québec throughout the morning.”
The BEI investigates whenever a civilian is seriously injured or killed during a police intervention or while in police custody.
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