'That's not gonna happen here': Calls for justice mount as mourners remember Brady Francis
CBC News | Posted: March 3, 2018 4:20 PM | Last Updated: March 3, 2018
Hundreds turn up to remember 22-year-old killed in hit-and-run
Friends and family continued their calls for justice for Brady Francis at his funeral Saturday in Elsipogtog.
It was standing room only for the service at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Church, where more than 500 people showed up to pay their respects to the popular young man.
Francis, 22, died Feb. 24 after he was struck by a pickup truck while waiting for a ride home from a party. The incident happened in Saint-Charles, a predominantly francophone town about 12 kilometres south of the Elsipogtog First Nation.
There have yet to be any arrests in the case.
During the funeral, many people wore hoodies bearing a picture of Francis to highlight to need to bring whomever was responsible for his death to justice.
One of them was Jesse Augustine. He knew Francis from the time they were teenagers.
He said he is devastated by his death, and expressed frustration with the lack of an arrest.
"It's bogus. This guy walked away like nothing happened. This justice system needs to be looked at," he said.
"Aboriginal people… we're human too. We're not just some people that … we're human too man."
Dennis Simon was Francis' neighbour and knew him all his life.
He said Francis was "one of a kind" and loved by the entire community.
"Basically, we are very shocked and want to show people that there is justice. There should be justice for Brady," he said.
"To get somebody responsible for his death to pay for what he did, to open up and freely say that he should pay for his crimes. That's all. That's justice for Brady."
Since Francis' death, many people have been posting on social media using the hashtag #justiceforbrady, echoing the social media tags used to denounce jury verdicts in the killings of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine.
Outside the funeral, Ruth Levi, a band councillor for the Elsipogtog First Nation, said the community does not want to see Francis' family and friends deprived of justice in his death.
"That's not gonna happen here. We are gonna keep fighting for justice," she said.
"Brady did not deserve to leave us like that."
At the same time, she said she was happy to see the outpouring of support for Francis' family from the community.
"What's going to happen is beyond us. But I think the whole community rallying around justice for Brady, that's what's keeping us going," she said.
"It's very important for the community… to have justice."
The RCMP said Thursday they have released the GMC pickup truck that was seized after Francis' death, sparking angry comments on social media from some members of the community.
Francis' grandfather, Kenneth Francis, took to Facebook to plead for patience as police continue to investigate his grandson's death.
Francis is survived by his parents, Dana Francis and Jessica Jane Perley, his sisters, Darienne Jane Perley Francis, Bridgette Perley-Francis, and Sara Annie Jayne Perley-Francis, and his brother Mathias Francis, all of Elsipogtog, as well as several extended family members.