Camara's lawyers dispute finding of no racial profiling in wrongful arrest; lawsuit will go ahead
Mamadi Camara’s lawyers insist he’s a victim of racial profiling in his high-profile wrongful arrest last winter, despite a Quebec judge’s report finding otherwise.
They called those findings one-sided and are moving ahead with their lawsuit against police.
Camara was charged with disarming a police officer and attempting to kill him, but police had the wrong man. Camara had been pulled over earlier for using his cellphone while driving.
A new report says police mishandled the investigation. But Camara’s legal team say they want more.
“We wanted a more transparent inquiry with [the] possibility [to] counter-interrogate witnesses, and this is not what happened,” said lawyer Virginie Dufresne Lemire.
“It is closed and not transparent inquiry that happened.”
Anti-racism advocate Fo Niemi, who often advises people with police-related complaints, said the report is “a police version” of what happened.
“Of course we cannot 100-per-cent count this report as a definite version of what happened,” he said.
Camara declined to particate in Dionne’s investigation, a decision his lawyers defended.
“The involvement they were proposing is that only he would be meet for few hours with the judge, and for us this is not enough,” said Dufresne Lemire.
“We want him to be able to participate, know what witnesses are saying, to be able to ask questions.”
They’ll be able to do all that within the process for the lawsuit Camara filed against the city and the police in July.
“What we hope to see in this civil case before the courts will be truth and nothing but the truth, because there’s a lot missing in the report,” said Niemi.
Camara is seeking $1.2 million in damages. No date has been set yet for the case to be heard.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.