LONGUEUIL — Drops of blood were still visible on the sidewalk of a quiet residential neighbourhood on Montreal’s South Shore on Monday, where a group of teenagers gathered to mourn the death of their friend who was shot by police over the weekend.
“Why did they shoot this 15-year-old?” said Moustapha Tamani, the father of a girl who was friends with the victim. Tamani accompanied the group of young people, students at nearby André-Laurendeau high school, to the scene of the shooting in the St-Hubert borough of Longueuil, Que.
“He was a good boy, a boy who was searching for himself, who wanted to grow up, happy,” Tamani said.
Quebec’s independent police watchdog, which is investigating Sunday’s shooting, did not identify the victim or their age, saying only that police had responded to a 911 call about “a group of armed people moving through a public place.”
Officers reportedly arrived at the scene shortly after, around 3 p.m., and one person was hit by police gunfire during the intervention, the watchdog — Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — said in a news release.
The Marie-Victorin school service centre, which oversees French schools in the area, confirmed the death of one of their students in a letter home to families. On Monday at the family home of the victim, his relatives declined to speak with The Canadian Press.
Prior to the shooting, two witnesses, who asked that their names not be published because they live near the location of where the boy was shot, said they saw dozens of teenagers dressed in black, wearing masks and marching through the neighbourhood on Sunday afternoon.
When they asked what the youths were doing in the neighbourhood, they reportedly said that they were preparing to shoot a video in the nearby wooded area. A few minutes later, shots were fired and one of the witnesses said she saw a bloodied teenager lying in the street.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of Joseph-Daigneault and de Monaco streets, a largely residential area bordering a forest. The watchdog said police officers provided first aid at the scene until paramedics arrived, but the teen was pronounced dead in hospital. It investigates all instances in which people are killed or injured by police officers.
Longueuil police said Monday they are co-operating with the watchdog investigation and will be making no further comments about the case. “The incident unfortunately resulted in the death of one person,” police said in a statement on Monday. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this sad news.”
The coroner’s office is also investigating.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.
Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press
