Technicians at 2012 election night shooting sue Montreal police, SQ
Police forces say they are not at fault for what happened that night
Four technicians who say they are still suffering after witnessing the Metropolis election night shooting in 2012 are suing Montreal and provincial police for failing to protect the site.
They say they haven't recovered from seeing their colleagues get shot right in front of them, and are asking for $85,000 each.
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Their lawyer, Virginie Dufresne-Lemire, said even though the shooter, Richard Bain, was sentenced last year, there are still other questions that need to be answered.
"We think it's unacceptable that there was no police presence at the site," Dufresne-Lemire said. "There were hundreds of people, and an armed man was able to get to the event easily."
She added that her clients are still suffering from post-traumatic shock, five years later.
The Sûreté du Québec said its responsibility that night was defending the newly elected premier, Pauline Marois.
Montreal police said its responsibility was to keep Montreal safe — and not the Metropolis.
Bain was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years in Nov. 2016 for the second-degree murder of stagehand Denis Blanchette and the attempted murders of several other people outside the Metropolis concert hall during the PQ's 2012 election victory rally.
with files from CBC's Kate McKenna and Radio-Canada