(Montreal) An inquest by coroner Géhane Kamel into the deaths of a Sûreté du Québec (SQ) sergeant and the man who killed her heard Wednesday the testimony of a police officer who participated in the intervention.
William Berrouard, an SQ patrolman, testified that he was surprised when Isaac Brouillard Lessard attacked him with a knife while he tried to arrest him for uttering threats and violating his probation.
On March 27, 2023, Brouillard Lessard seriously injured Mr. Berrouard and fatally stabbed Sergeant Maureen Breau before being shot and killed by police in his building.
Mr Berrouard told the inquest he thought he was going to die from his stab wounds to the head as he took cover behind a mattress in the corridor and his colleagues opened fire on Brouillard Lessard .
The officer testified that he and three colleagues had visited the apartment three days earlier after Brouillard Lessard’s parents reported that their son was suffering from psychosis and his mental health was deteriorating.
He said that day, they felt Brouillard Lessard was cooperative and did not pose an imminent threat, meaning there was no reason to detain him.