The family of a Montreal man who died during a police intervention in 2017 is asking the Quebec Minister of Justice to order an independent investigation, since the Crown has refused to lay charges against the officers involved.
The parents of Koray Kevin Celik presented this request at a press conference on Monday, on the eve of the start of police ethics hearings in Montreal for some of the officers involved.
On March 6, 2017, Mr. Celik’s parents called police to their home in Montreal’s West Island because they feared their son was driving impaired.
Police officers later tried to restrain Mr. Celik with force, and his parents said they saw officers repeatedly kick and knee their son before the unarmed man stopped breathing and went into cardiopulmonary arrest. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A coroner’s inquest into Mr Celik’s death found that officers “provoked” the use of force in their response and were not adequately prepared when they arrived at the residence.
Mr. Celik’s parents, June Tyler and Cesur Celik, had previously asked Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette to reopen the case, but he has so far refused.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Simon Jolin-Barrette, Minister of Justice
The family continues to denounce the investigation conducted by the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) and the decision of prosecutors not to bring charges against the police officers.
The Court of Quebec ruled in favour of the family, stating that the BEI had made an error in publishing a press release that only gave the police version. This decision was later upheld on appeal.
On Monday, the Celiks were accompanied at the press conference by their lawyers and representatives of the League of Rights and Freedoms and the Coalition against Police Repression and Abuse.