The head of the Old Brewery Mission has met with the Montreal police chief to work at improving relations following last week’s shooting of a homeless man.

Tensions remain high at the mission and some of its patrons haven’t returned since the fatal shooting of 38-year-old Jimmy Cloutier by police.

“They just disappeared,” said counsellor Antoine Auger-Morin. “I have no news from them. We had appointments for them with different organizations.”

Cloutier was suspected of attacking someone with a sharp object. Police caught up with him just outside the Old Brewery Mission and shot him after he refused to lay down his weapon and, police say, made a ‘threatening gesture.’

The Independent Bureau of Investigations, or the BEI, is investigating.

This latest shooting is breaking down trust even further between the homeless population and police, said Auger-Morin.

“They felt that day that they were under siege, that the cops were at their home,” he said.

The incident prompted Matthew Pearce, the head of the Old Brewery Mission, to meet with Montreal police chief Philippe Pichet.

Pearce also showed Pichet surveillance footage of another incident that same day inside the mission (Pearce said he is not prepared to release this footage publicly yet).

“It was an unkind remark and the police continued to walk and then one of them turned around and confronted the individual. That confrontation ended up to be aggressive on the part of the police,” he said.

Montreal police confirmed they are looking into it.

Pearce said both he and the chief agree changes need to be made, adding that Pichet was open to some ideas he suggested including being part of training workshops for officers.

“Don't have as your default mechanism: Contain, control, quickly resolve. Instead, have as your default: Give space, give time. If the conditions don't permit it, then you have act, but almost always they do,” he said.

Pearce also added that the two agreed to meet twice a year to monitor progress and maintain an open dialogue.

The police force chose not to comment yet, as there will be more meetings between the department and the Old Brewery Mission to come.