The family of Jamal Francique say they’re still reeling from a recently-released Special Investigations Unit’s decision to clear the officer who killed the 28-year-old Black man over a year ago — and are now launching an independent investigation of their own.
“It is the worst pain that life could bring to a mother,” Francique’s mother, Anne Marie White said.
“I don’t even know how I get through it some days. It hurts like hell. They took my baby away from me. He was a beautiful young man.”
In mid-January, the Special Investigations Unit released a detailed report that concluded there were no reasonable grounds to lay charges against the officer who shot and killed Francique outside of his parents’ home.
In their first interview since the release of the SIU’s findings, the Francique family and their legal counsel told Global News they believe the report led to many unanswered questions.
“It’s it’s mind boggling in the sense that. It’s like it wasn’t vetted for inconsistencies. The discrepancies, they’re unbelievable,” White said.
In its report, Ontario’s police watchdog said officers had gone to Francique’s home to arrest him because he allegedly had been violating his bail conditions related to firearm and drug-related charges.
Multiple plainclothes officers and unmarked vehicles waited outside the townhouse complex in the area of Southampton Drive and Aquinas Avenue in Mississauga on January 7th 2020.
The report states that Francique left his home, reversing out of his parking spot, at around 5:45 p.m. — but was quickly surrounded by cruisers and officers.
The SIU said Francique then accelerated forward, with one officer jumping out of the way ‘to avoid being struck.’
That’s when, around the same time, an officer fired his gun four times at the driver’s seat because he believed Francique driving in his direction was ‘an imminent risk to his life.’
“I don’t believe this man had his life at risk,” Francique’s brother, Brian Hall said. “There’s eight of you, and you’re scared for your life? You all could’ve killed anything but instead you all shot, you all shot to kill.”
“I think the report highlights a lot of problems in police conduct and also in SIU investigations,” said the family’s legal counsel, Knia Singh with Ma’at Legal Services.
Singh said the family still hasn’t received clarity on the following questions: Why eight police officers had been called to arrest one man? Why could they not approach Francique directly by approaching the front door? How fast was Francique’s car going that the officer who shot him felt he was in imminent risk?
Singh also said he takes issue with the timing of the incident, since Peel police initially said Francique left his home at 7:45 p.m. but the report claims it was two hours earlier.
“So why are there so many differences? And then those differences just take a peek into the inaccuracy of potentially the entire investigation,” Singh said. “If they’re so loose on a report after one year, what else are they loose on.”
Singh said the family’s independent investigation would rely on Freedom of Information requests, sifting through Francique’s past police records and independent analysis from lawyers and other professionals to look into the events that transpired.
“They don’t know what they’ve done to our family, the struggles to get through every day, not having Jamal around,” Francique’ mother said.
“They didn’t give my son a chance to live. They just had to ring the doorbell that night and they didn’t… and I don’t know why.”
Peel police did not respond to Global News’ request for an interview by deadline.
Meanwhile, Francique’s family, who were front and centre during 2020’s George Floyd protests, believe the movement changed nothing when it comes to how police treat Black people here at home.
“Everything’s still the same. Nothing has changed,” Francique’s brother, Hall said. “These guys are just killing people, getting away with it. I’m just tired of it and fed up. We need to get justice.”
– with files from Tiffany Mongu