Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating after a man was killed during an early morning police intervention in Montreal.
The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) say Montreal police officers responded to a man in crisis around 5:30 a.m. in the city’s west end.
The BEI say that, based on preliminary information, the man was holding a knife and made his way toward the police cruiser, where officers remained inside, before he headed toward a different car in the neighbourhood.
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Montreal police officers left the car to intervene when the man rushed toward them, still holding the knife, according to the BEI. Investigators say that is when police fired and killed the man.
The shooting occurred at the intersection of West Hill Avenue and Côte Saint-Luc Road in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood.
Urgences-Santé responded to a call about a police shooting around 6 a.m. and a man was sent to hospital in critical condition. The BEI confirmed the man’s death around 9 a.m. in a statement.
The BEI investigates whenever a civilian is injured or killed during a police intervention.
— With files from Global News’ Brayden Jagger Haines