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Quebec’s police watchdog announces two probes into fatal shootings

Dec 28, 2017 | 9:00 PM

MONTREAL — Quebec’s police watchdog has announced two investigations into fatal police shootings.

The unit says it is launching a probe into the death of a 36-year-old man killed by police in Danford Lake, about 250 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

On Thursday night the unit said it was called to investigate another fatal police shooting, this time involving a 22-year-old man killed in the Hudson Bay town of Umiujaq.

The unit did not say in its news release when the incident occurred or when the man died.

With regard to the Danford Lake shooting, the investigations unit said a man called police shortly before 10 p.m. on Thursday and said his son was unwell and had just left the house armed with an arrow and an iron bar.

Moments later, another man called police to say if officers didn’t show up in the next 20 minutes, he would kill his father and act in such a way as to make police kill him too.

The investigations unit said police arrived in Danford Lake shortly before 11 p.m. and found a man with a bow and arrow and an iron bar who then reportedly shot an arrow in the direction of the officers.

Officers fired their service weapons at the 36-year-old who was then taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the news release related to the northern Quebec shooting, police had gone to the 22-year-old man’s house to arrest him but that he refused to leave the home.

One officer remained at the location while another officer left to obtain a warrant to enter the residence.

The unit said after the second officer left, the man left his home armed with knives and went to a local community centre where police tried to keep him from entering.

He was shot when he turned toward the officers.

Seven members of the unit are investigating the shooting in the community located more than 1,200 kilometres north of Montreal.

The Canadian Press