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Contrary to what was spread on social media in the aftermath of a deadly shooting on June 22, a Montreal police officer did not fire on civilian Michel Mizrahi, who died in the operation, according to Radio-Canada sources.
The information was first reported by La Presse Wednesday morning.
According to the autopsy results, Mizrahi was shot multiple times that day and fatally struck in the head.
Radio-Canada sources say analysis of the fatal shot suggests a left-to-right impact and not one from underneath him, which is inconsistent with the police officer’s positioning.
This allowed forensic pathologists to rule out the theory that the shot came from her firearm.
According to Radio-Canada, the police officer, who had only been with the service for 15 months, was being pursued by the perpetrator.
WATCH | Autopsy report suggests officer captured in video did not shoot Mizrahi:
Police officer didn’t fire on civilian killed in June shooting, say Radio-Canada sources
According to Radio-Canada sources, forensic analysis of the gunshot that killed 68-year-old Michel Mizrahi on June 22 indicates a left-to-right impact rather than one from underneath, which is inconsistent with a police officer’s positioning shown in videos that circulated online in the shooting’s aftermath. Mizrahi was one of two people killed during a shootout between Montreal police and a gunman in the city’s Côte-des-Neiges neigbourhood.
Moments earlier, the perpetrator shot and killed her patrol partner, Const. Mohamed Lamine Benredouane, who lay on the ground nearby.
The shooter used an SKS rifle and his bullets struck the police officer in the arm and abdomen, according to Radio-Canada. The shooter was killed by police shortly after.
Officer received death threats after shooting
Multiple videos of the shooting from different angles emerged on social media and led many to believe that the police officer, surprised by Mizrahi appearing next to her, mistakenly shot and killed him.
While in critical condition in hospital, she received death threats, according to Radio-Canada.
During an interview with Radio-Canada earlier Wednesday morning, Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher said he looked forward to seeing the police officer honoured. He did not confirm La Presse’s reporting.
Given what the officer went through that day, the police chief told Radio-Canada’s Tout un matin, “if the article is true, I find this very difficult.”
“Getting shot at, suffering serious injuries, falling into a coma and to be judged in the court of public opinion as though she’s the one who shot [Mizrahi] … I find that totally unfair.”
On June 22, around 11:35 a.m., police received reports of a person with a gun at a Hilton hotel on Décarie Boulevard in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood.
When they arrived, a shootout ensued between Montreal police and the shooter.
Investigations by Quebec’s police watchdog, the provincial police service and the coroner’s office are ongoing.