Quebec coroner orders public inquiry into shooting deaths, suspect

Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the homicides of three men shot dead in the Montreal area as well as the death of the man believed to have killed them indiscriminately.

Pascale Descary issued the directive on Monday, calling on coroner Géhane Kamel to lead the investigation. A prosecutor, to be appointed shortly, will also participate in the investigation.

« The hearings will allow anyone interested to speak about the circumstances of these deaths in order to analyze all contributing factors, with a view to proposing possible solutions for better protection of human life, » the coroner’s office said. in a statement released Monday.

The inquest comes after Abdulla Shaikh, 26, was killed during a Montreal police raid at a motel last Thursday. He was the suspect in the shooting deaths of three men over a period of approximately 24 hours.

Kamel will look into the deaths of André Lemieux, 64, and Mohamed Belhaj, 48, both killed in Montreal last Tuesday. About 24 hours later, a third man, 22-year-old Alex Lévis Crevier, was killed in Laval, just north of Montreal.

Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating Shaikh’s police death while provincial police investigate the three homicides.

The coroner’s office said more details about the public inquest and hearing dates will be provided at a later date.

—with files from The Canadian Press