“It is odious of a prime minister. The former lawyer for the alleged perpetrator of the triple homicide in Montreal and Laval condemns the “unacceptable” remarks made by François Legault following the death of Abdulla Shaikh, shot dead by the police.
Posted at 8:39 p.m.
On Friday, Prime Minister François Legault wondered why Abdulla Shaikh “was released” when he was “already targeted” by charges and had mental health problems.
“I’m glad we got rid of this individual,” he said the day after the death of the suspect, shot dead by the police in a motel in the borough of Saint-Laurent.
“The blood made me three turns when I heard that. I was stunned. This is unacceptable”, immediately protested the former lawyer of Abdulla Shaikh, Me François Legault, who shares the name of the Prime Minister.
“Even the worst criminals” have “the right to undergo a fair trial, to present a defense, and to be defended”, recalls Mr.e Legault in interview with The Press.
“If there is something that we must not get rid of, it is the rules of law”, underlines the one who was a Crown prosecutor for 35 years.
According to Me François Legault, this kind of remark can also be “very stigmatizing for people who suffer from mental disorders”. “It’s really not the thing to say, and there, I measure my words”, denounces the lawyer.
Recall that Abdulla Shaikh was diagnosed with schizophrenia and narcissistic and antisocial personality traits, according to court documents. In 2016, he was charged, among other things, with sexual and weapon assault. His trial was scheduled for next January, in Laval.
In another mischief case in 2018, he was found not criminally responsible. He had since been followed in psychiatry and had been hospitalized until 2021.
His condition required an annual review by the Mental Disorder Review Board, the last of which was carried out in March 2022.
Another disturbing comment
In front of the media, the Prime Minister also said he was “happy” with the work done by the police “who acted quickly”. A comment that also startled Me François Legault, because the police operation is currently under investigation by the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI).
“The Prime Minister’s opinion should not take precedence over the work of the police who will be called upon to investigate. It still puts pressure on BEI investigators, ”he fears.
As long as all the light has been shed on the circumstances surrounding the death of Abdulla Shaikh, the lawyer will reserve the right to comment on the police operation, although he has questions.
“What preceded that?” Have we taken all the measures? Were there people from the psychosocial emergency department present on site? “, he raises. “Before saying that the police acted well, let’s wait to see what the investigation will reveal,” concludes the lawyer.
The most recent victim of this series of homicides which shook the metropolis is Alex Lévis Crevier, a 22-year-old Laval resident. He was riding a skateboard in the Laval-des-Rapides district when the shootings occurred. He would have been randomly targeted. Two men were killed within an hour of each other on Tuesday evening. The first victim is André Fernand Lemieux, a 64-year-old man, father of Quebec boxer David Lemieux.
An hour later, officers found a man lying on the ground with gunshot wounds, about two miles from the first kill. Mohamed Salah Belhaj, an intervention officer at the Albert-Prévost mental health hospital, 48, also succumbed to his injuries.
Like many experts, Mr.e François Legault hopes that this tragic affair sheds light on the cracks. “Follow-up is the key. Both in the psychiatric hospital and outside. It probably takes more stakeholders, ”he believes.
With Henri Ouellette-Vézina, The Press