Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the homicides of three men who were gunned down in the Montreal area as well as the death of the man suspected of killing them at random.
Pascale Descary issued the directive Monday, tapping coroner Géhane Kamel to lead the inquiry. The investigation will also be assisted by a prosecutor, who will soon be appointed.
“The hearings will allow anyone of interest to speak about the circumstances of these deaths in order to analyze all the contributing factors, with a view to proposing possible solutions for better protection of human life,” the coroner’s office said in a statement issued Monday.
After 26-year old Abdulla Shaikh was shot and killed by Montreal police during an intervention at a motel, the inquiry follows. In the shooting deaths of three men over a 24-hour period, he was the suspect.
Kamel will look into the death of André Lemieux, 64, and Mohamed Belhaj, 48, who were both killed in Montreal last Tuesday. About 24 hours later, a third man, Alex Lévis Crevier, 22, was killed in Laval, just north of Montreal.
Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating the death of Shaikh by police while the provincial police force is investigating the three homicides.
The coroner’s office said more details about the public inquiry and dates of the hearings will be provided at a later date.
—Files from the Canadian Press
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