Sorrow, prayer at funeral for 15-year-old killed by police in Longueuil, Que.

On Thursday morning, grief-stricken family, friends and community members gathered at a mosque in Brossard, Que., to pray and honour the memory of a 15-year-old boy who was shot and killed by Longueuil police Sunday. 

Around 1,300 people — women, men and youth alike — entered the place of worship quietly, many dressed in black and others wearing white veils. 

Some could not hold back their tears, visibly shaken by Nooran Rezayi’s killing. 

A teenager broke down, crying out: “Justice for Nooran,” just before entering the Ismaili Jamatkhana. 

Zahrah Khademi struggled to suppress her tears as she spoke about her second cousin who was “full of life, full of ambitions and possibilities” and what his life could’ve been. 

“He was always smiling, he was always kind,” said Khademi. 

“There’s still a lot of shock, there’s a lot of answers we want, for sure. But today, we really want to focus on … his life that he lived, although it was short, just to give a final goodbye.” 

WATCH | Profound sadness, heartbreak at teen’s funeral: 

Funeral for teen shot by police in Longueuil, Que., draws more than 1,000 people

Emotions ran high at the funeral for Nooran Rezayi, a 15-year-old who died after being shot by police on Sept. 21 on a residential street in the Montreal suburb of Longueuil, Que. Circumstances around the incident are still unclear, with an investigation by Quebec’s police watchdog underway.

Nooran’s parents didn’t wish to speak to media on Thursday, focusing wholly on their grief and saying goodbye to their boy. 

Loved ones and others impacted by the fatal event packed the room inside the mosque, filled with sorrow. Some held tightly onto their prayer beads with their heads bowed, while other mourners tried to catch their breath between tears. 

They performed salat al-janaza, the Muslim funeral prayer, and recited du’as, prayers of invocation, for Nooran.

“These are specific prayers that are said so that the deceased can depart in peace,” said Reza Kalfane, a volunteer member of the Ismaili community leadership. 

Mourners continued to recite du’as and verses of the Qur’an as they carried the coffin to the car that took the young boy to his final resting place, the Saint-Hubert cemetery. 

‘I couldn’t imagine a kid my age… being in a coffin’Fourteen-year-old Raihan Ansari, who grew up around Nooran, showed up at the funeral on Thursday to commemorate the victim. (Gloria Henriquez/CBC)

Raihan Ansari, 14, who had grown up around Nooran, said attending the prayer was important for him and his family to remember the teen. 

“He was a great kid. Whatever happened in that moment wasn’t supposed to happen,” said Raihan.

“I couldn’t imagine a kid my age, almost my age, being in a coffin.”

Mustapha Tamani, whose daughter was very close to Nooran, has been providing support and comfort to the young people shaken by the victim’s death. 

His daughter, he explained, has been in a state of shock and only began crying on Wednesday, days after the shooting. 

Describing himself as the “father of all these young people,” Tamani spoke of the importance of proper support for youths, many of whom he said are grappling with anger in these difficult times.

“Imagine for our young children, when they see a police car now, they panic, and it’s sad to see that,” said Tamani.

He said the fatal event was unforgivable and hopes that light is shed on the case.

“We just want to condemn the bad cop who reacted that way, but I still have complete trust in the police. However, I would like this to never happen again because … it destroys a family, it destroys a society,” he said. 

Mourners recited prayers as they carried Nooran’s coffin into a car before heading to the cemetery. About 1,300 people showed up to support the family on Thursday. (Gloria Henriquez/CBC)

Deedar Sadid, a member of Nooran’s community, said attendees were unable to stop crying during the ceremony and are seeking answers.

“We respect the job of the police, but we need some more information,” he said. “We feel a pain in our hearts. We want to know what happened exactly.” 

Nooran’s final moments

Nooran’s killing has sent waves of outrage, disbelief and sorrow through the province. 

On Sunday, the BEI — Quebec’s police watchdog — released brief information about the police operation that led to the teen’s death. 

The agency said Longueuil police received a 911 call around 2:48 p.m. from someone reporting a group of armed people in a public place.

On Tuesday, the BEI confirmed that investigators recovered only one firearm from the scene: the officer’s service weapon. 

WATCH | Community mourns after teen killed by police: 

Officers arrived at the scene 10 minutes after the call and “entered into contact with the group,” wrote the BEI. 

“During the intervention, one person was hit by a shot fired by police.”

Eyewitnesses have told CBC the shooting happened within seconds of the officers’ arrival and after hardly any interaction with the teen. 

Nooran was shot and killed by an officer in that operation. The Longueuil police service has said that the officer is on leave for an indefinite period. 

Lawyer Fernando Belton, who is representing the victim’s family, told CBC News on Tuesday that the shooting raised a lot of questions, including why the officer felt the need to use lethal force on the young boy who was not armed. 

Nooran’s family and friends said he had only been carrying his school bag with books in it when he was shot.

A total of 15 BEI investigators are on the case and Montreal police are assisting the investigation. 

The head of the BEI said investigators have spoken with numerous witnesses and have gathered seven videos of the incident which are currently being analyzed by forensics teams.