Quebec's police watchdog investigating after SQ officer fatally shoots man in Shawinigan
Man, estimated to be about 60, was wielding knife, BEI says in statement
Quebec's police watchdog has launched an investigation after a provincial police officer shot and killed a man in Shawinigan on Tuesday.
According to preliminary information, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers from the Shawinigan station responded to a call about a man acting strangely in a business at around 5:25 p.m., says the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) in a statement.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man, estimated to be about 60 years old, armed with a knife who was acting in a threatening manner, the statement says.
That's when a police officer fatally shot the man, the statement says.
Five BEI investigators have been assigned to the case, and in accordance with regulations, Quebec City police will be assisting by providing two forensic technicians.
The BEI asks anyone who witnessed this event to contact it via its website.
No other information is currently available, the statement says.
Shawinigan is located about 200 kilometres northeast of Montreal, not far from Trois-Rivières.
The BEI's mission is to investigate all cases where a person, other than a police officer on duty, dies, sustains a serious injury or is injured by police or while in custody.