No charges for Sûreté du Québec officer in car crash that killed 5-year-old
Provincial police investigator was speeding when he crashed into car carrying man and 2 children
A Sûreté du Québec officer will not be charged after a crash that killed a five-year-old boy in St-Hubert.
The Crown prosecutor's office confirmed the officer would not be charged, but would not comment further on the case.
In February, a vehicle carrying a 31-year-old man and his two children was hit by an oncoming vehicle at the intersection of Gaétan-Boucher and Davis boulevards on Montreal's South Shore.
The father was driving his children to school.
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The oncoming vehicle was an unmarked provincial police car driven by a 29-year-old on-duty SQ officer. He was travelling at 122 kilometres per hour — more than twice the speed limit. He was not responding to an emergency.
Firefighters had to use the jaws of life to extract the boy. He died from his injuries five days later in hospital.
Former SQ investigator Michel Martin said he was surprised by the news that the police officer would not be charged.
Martin said the incident could still be reviewed by the police ethics committee, which would have the power to discipline the officer.
Because the SQ driver will not face any criminal charges, the boy’s family is not entitled to compensation normally given to the families of victims of crime.
Chief Crown prosecutor to meet with family
Late Wednesday afternoon, Quebec's Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) issued a statement saying it will “meet the family of the victim in the coming days to inform them of the reasons behind its decision not to lay charges.”
The statement adds that once the DPCP has met with the family, it will release some of the information to the public in an effort to maintain transparency and reinforce the public’s trust.