Who hit police officer Sanjay Vig? Who opened fire and in what context? The jury will not hear Ali Ngarukiye’s version of his alleged attempted murder of the Montreal police officer. The 24-year-old chose not to present a defense on Monday, as the Crown concluded its case after a three-month marathon.
Judge François Dadour thus announced to the jury on Monday that the pleadings would take place next Monday, with a view to the start of deliberations next Thursday, December 7. It should be noted that an accused is under no obligation to testify. It is up to the Crown to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In this case, Ali Ngarukiye is accused of having planned several days in advance to attack agent Sanjay Vig of Service de la Ville de Montréal, on January 28, 2021 on Crémazie Boulevard, in Montreal. According to the Crown’s evidence, Ali Ngarukiye hit the police officer with a metal bar behind the head before attempting to kill him.
“They were blows to kill. […] I really felt like I was on the verge of dying at that moment. But I’m in survival mode,” Officer Vig testified at trial. The experienced police officer thought he would die that day. His assailant then managed to disarm him, according to him. A bullet from his pistol was found in a residence, not far from the scene.
However, at the time, agent Vig believes that his assailant is Mamadi Camara, a motorist whom he has just intercepted with his cell phone while driving. At the trial, Vig described Mamadi Camara as a “very, very, very angry” man, with a “tightened” neck and “fire in his eyes.”
PHOTO FILED AS PROOF
Items were found near the crime scene, including a cap and a metal stick believed to be the murder weapon.
The affair then caused a scandal: Mamadi Camara was arrested and accused of this crime, before being cleared all along. On this subject, the Crown filed articles from several media on Monday. Judge François Dadour, however, called on the jury to be cautious, since these articles only provide proof of “media coverage of the Camara affair”.
At the trial, Mamadi Camara said she saw the police officer and his assailant “fighting”. He then called 911. He denied having been as aggressive as the police officer claimed during his interception. Mamadi Camara returned to testify during the trial and ended up admitting to having used his cell phone a few minutes before the interception.
In all cases, Ali Ngarukiye’s DNA was found in several places at the crime scene, including on a vehicle.