The family of slain teenager Fredy Virlanueva says they no longer trust the minister of public security in spite of the minister's promise on Tuesday to pay for lawyers for the family at the inquest into Villanueva's death.

"Since December, he's been making us promises he has not kept, so I think he's not the right person we should be talking to," said Patricia Villanueva, Fredy's sister, at a press conference. "I no longer have confidence in Mr. Dupuis."

The press conference was in reaction to a move made by Justice Robert Sansfacon to suspend the inquiry indefinitely.

The judge began hearing evidence Monday afternoon, but nine of the 15 parties involved boycotted the inquiry, including the Villanueva family. Denis Meas, 18, and Jeffrey Sagor Metellus, 20 -- the two victims who were also wounded by gunshots on the night that Villanueva died are among those refusing to participate.

The victims have said they would testify is subpoenaed, but they are refusing to take an active role that would allow them to call witnesses and cross-examine others.

Part of the reason is because they could not afford lawyers, and they say the justice minister has already once reneged on a promise to pay for the family's lawyers as well as legal representation for other inquiry participants.

The only people willing to take part in the process were the police and their lawyers.

"The fundamental imbalance in the dynamics of the case prevents me from gathering credible evidence... in the interest of justice, and give the unfair context, the inquest can only continue once credibility has been re-established," the judge told the court as part of a statement, before walking out.

The judge did not offer guidelines on how to proceed.

In Montreal North on Tuesday, many people CTV Montreal spoke with were happy that the judge had acknowledged the imbalance.

"I think that it's normal," said Ricardo Lamour, a Villanueva supporter. "This inquest has been bogus since the beginning, and so it's normal... it's kind of late to see that we have to suspend it, and I'm waiting to see what will happen next."

Still asking for broader scope

The Villanueva family has been pushing to have the purview of the inquiry broadened to include an examination of racial profiling, police brutality and poverty in Montreal North.

The corner said that if the Villanueva family had decided to speak, they could have opened the door to the broader inquiry that they continue to seek.

The death

Villanueva, 18, was shot to death at a park in Montreal North last August, while Montreal police officers were attempting to arrest his older brother Dany.

The fatal shooting triggered rioting in which a police officer was shot in the leg, and it also highlighted deep divisions between police and youths in Montreal North.

The inquest was called after prosecutors said the officer responsible for shooting Villanueva would not be charged.

The prosecutors determined the officer had acted with justified force.