MONTREAL -- The Independent Investigations Bureau (BEI) is looking for the driver of a bus or minibus who may have witnessed a police intervention that ended in the death of Sheffield Matthews, 41, Thursday morning in Montreal.
A man in crisis who allegedly ran towards police officers with a knife in his hand was killed after being shot by a police officer.
The shooting occurred shortly before dawn in Cote-Saint-Luc, in the southwest of the island of Montreal and the BEI is trying to shed light on what happened.
According to preliminary information provided to the BEI, a call was made to the police at around 5:50 a.m. about a man in crisis at the intersection of Cote-Saint-Luc Rd.and West Hill Ave.
When they arrived, the police allegedly saw him approaching their patrol car, armed with a knife, but they remained inside their car.
The civilian then went towards a vehicle in which a driver was seated. The police then got out of their patrol car to intervene.
It was then that the civilian allegedly rushed towards them that the police opened fire.
A family friend of the man said he worked at a seniors’ home, though he struggled with poverty. A friend said Matthews was a father, and he spent nearly all his earnings on his children.
The BEI's investigation is aimed at determining whether the police's information is correct. Eight of its investigators will participate, and the BEI called on the Surete du Quebec (SQ) to act as a support police force in this investigation.
Those with information on the shooting can contact the BEI on its website.
-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2020.
-- with reporting from CTV News.
