Those documents, obtained by Radio-Canada, also show that Abdulla Shaikh was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia. Following recommendations, the Tribunal Administratif du Québec — which handles cases related to mental illness — ordered Shaikh released in March from a psychiatric facility, subject to conditions. The release conditions were imposed to ensure health authorities could monitor Shaikh’s progress. By that time, Shaikh’s condition had improved, the ruling said. But the court said he could resort to “unpredictable and aggressive” actions if his mental illness worsened. “Without a legal and therapeutic framework, his condition would worsen and return the framework for dangerous [behaviours]”, the court decision states. The 26-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday morning during a Montreal police operation at a motel in the city’s Saint-Laurent district. Police believe the 26-year-old fatally shot two men in Montreal on Tuesday night and another the following night in Laval. Shaikh has had several run-ins with the law, including charges of sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm and uttering threats, according to court documents. In 2018, he was arrested for trespassing at the Montreal airport several days in a row. WATCHES | Learn more about the events leading up to Thursday’s police shooting:
Watchdog investigates after Montreal police kill man suspected in apparent random shooting
Quebec’s independent police watchdog is investigating after an attack by Montreal police officers killed a suspect believed to be responsible for three apparently random shootings in the city. On one occasion, court documents show, Shaikh was in a restricted zone at the airport and burned his passport with a lighter. In November of that year, he was found not criminally responsible for his actions. Shortly afterwards he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As part of his release, the court ordered Shaikh to abide by the following conditions: live in a home approved by the hospital, follow the recommendations of the team treating his condition, abstain from drug use, remain quiet and submit to urine tests when requested. . The March decision also gave the regional health board in Laval the power to tighten the conditions of his release. The written decision ends with a reference that Shaikh’s case will be reviewed and a new hearing will be held within the year that followed. Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes, is in charge of investigating Abdulla Shaikh’s death because he was killed during a police operation. (Charles Contant/CBC) Radio-Canada spoke to Shaikh’s brother, who acknowledged the suspect’s mental health issues but also said he did not believe the 26-year-old was responsible for this week’s fatal shootings. According to preliminary information provided to Quebec police, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), Montreal police officers were confronted by a man with a firearm during Thursday’s operation. Shots were fired and Shaikh died on the spot. His death means there are now two investigations: one looking into the three fatal shootings on Tuesday and Wednesday now taken over by the Sûreté du Québec’s major crimes unit, and another that will focus on the actions of the Montreal police (SPVM) against during the operation that killed Sheikh. On Thursday, an SQ spokesman said a large part of its investigation was trying to find a motive for Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s murders. Mélissa Beauchamp, a friend of Alexis Levis-Crevier, the 22-year-old man killed in Laval, stopped by his makeshift memorial on Friday. (Radio-Canada)
The suspect should never have been released, the victim’s loved ones say
For many, the court’s decision raises questions about how Shaikh’s mental health was assessed before and after his release in March. The family of Alexis Lévis-Crevier — the 22-year-old who was killed Wednesday in Laval — is struggling to understand why he was released to Shaikh. “You would think that the person who had his file in their hands would have seen that he was not fit to be out,” said Roxanne Lévis-Crevier, Alexis’ older sister. On Friday, Mélissa Beauchamp, a family friend, stopped by a makeshift memorial that had been set up near the scene of the shooting. “It was misjudged, if you ask me,” Beauchamp told Radio-Canada, adding that her friend’s death was “unjustified.” Both Beauchamp and the victim’s sister described Alexis as loving and generous. “Every day we wrote to each other,” his sister said. “So I’m really going to miss his presence. I feel it but he’s not there physically. My head knows it but my heart doesn’t want to admit it.” In a statement, the regional health board for Laval, which oversees the hospital that handled Sheikh’s case, expressed its condolences to the families of the victims. He said he could not comment on the suspect’s case for confidentiality reasons. A spokesman for the health board said, in general, its responsibility is to ensure that a patient complies with the conditions set by the court. The Sûreté du Québec spent much of Thursday at the motel in Montreal’s Saint-Laurent district where Abdulla Shaikh was killed during a police operation. (Charles Contant/CBC)
Releasing the suspect was a “tolerable” risk, lawyer says
François Legault, the lawyer who represented Shaikh at the March hearing, said he questions whether police acted rashly by shooting and killing his client. In addition to his thoughts on the three victims in Montreal and Laval, he said he was “shaken” by the news of Sheikh’s death. “I ask myself a lot of questions. I don’t have the answers. I hope to get them one day and know if [police] The operation was carried out more or less quickly,” said the lawyer. “We have tried every measure to create a level of communication that is tailored [Shaikh’s] condition?” Legault described the decision to release Shaikh on conditions as a “tolerable” risk based on his progress. “That’s our job — it’s to accept the risk,” the lawyer said. “Every day we make decisions without knowing what will happen next, but [they’re] based on the data we have in front of us”. Legault also acknowledged that he had not spoken to his client since the court’s decision.
