Charges stayed in case of man accused of Montreal police officer’s attempted murder

Charges have been stayed in connection with the case of a Montreal man accused of attempted murder and disarming a Montreal police officer last month.

Mamadi Fara Camara, who was set to appear in court Wednesday afternoon for a bail hearing, has instead been released.

Crown prosecutors said Wednesday that new information came to light Tuesday night and in the early morning hours forcing them to reevaluate the case.

Among the evidence was a video.

Upon their return to court Wednesday and after reviewing the evidence, the Crown said it was no longer possible to sustain the accusations towards Mamadi Fara Camara.

The 31 year-old was facing charges of attempted murder after allegedly disarming and shooting at a Montreal police officer during a traffic stop in Parc-Extension.

The officer was sent to hospital where he was treated for his injuries and discharged the following day.

The incident happened last Thursday, Jan. 28, on Crémazie Boulevard.

According to Montreal police, Fara Camara was stopped for a traffic infraction when an altercation between the officer and Camara quickly escalated.

Camara does not have a criminal record and his family says he’s a peaceful man.

Both his family and friends expressed relief and said they are happy his reputation has been cleared.

In a separate case back in 2012, the officer in question, Sanjay Vig, was sanctioned for breaching the police ethics code.

He was later suspended for two days without pay due to misconduct towards an Arab driver.

The incident also took place on Crémazie Boulevard.

1:58 Montreal lawyer upset over police actions during traffic stop

In its decision, the Police Ethics Committee ruled that Officer Sanjay Vig committed three breaches of the Code of Ethics of Quebec Police Officers: ordering a security deposit without issuing a ticket beforehand; making an illegal arrest; and using illegal force.

While charges against Camara have been stayed, the investigation into the incident continues.

“With the evidence that we had, the identification wasn’t good enough,” said Camara’s lawyer, Cédric Materne, explaining the reason behind the stay of proceedings.

Materne also said that even though his client has been released he could still face charges in the future.

“That’s why I was saying the inquiry is still ongoing in the SPVM (Montreal police) and DPCP (Crown prosecutor) so yes he can still be accused.”

Montreal Opposition Leader Lionel Perez, took to social media Wednesday afternoon calling for an independent investigation to be launched to get to the bottom of what transpired on the evening of Jan. 28.