(Quebec) The parents of Kim Lebel broke the silence Monday in an emotional meeting with the press, during which they recounted how they tried by all means to warn the authorities that a tragedy was brewing, days before their son is arrested for the murder of a neighbor.
Posted at 2:43 p.m.
Updated at 3:12 p.m.
“If we can help other families, so much the better. For the rest of us, it is too late, ”launched Daniel Lebel, whose son is accused of having killed Jacques Côté, 65, on April 6 in Lac-Saint-Charles, north of Quebec.
Surrounded by their lawyer, the parents told how they did everything, even seeing a judge, to bring their 30-year-old son before a psychiatrist. They believe they have been abandoned by the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) and believe that the police could have prevented the death of Jacques Côté, who was killed with a metal bar.
They didn’t take us seriously despite all the steps we parents took. This tragedy should never have happened, everything is in place to avoid it.
Lucie Drouin, mother of Kim Lebel
Kim Lebel’s mother said she alerted the SPVQ on Monday, April 4. The parents were worried about the mental health of their son, suspected psychosis, which could have serious consequences. The police officers met with their sons, but reportedly did not follow up.
“Daniel and I repeatedly insisted that they go get him and especially meet a psychiatrist. We insisted on our fear as to the actions that our son could take, ”said the mother.
The next day, they contacted La Boussole, a mental health support group. Thanks to the help of the organization, a judge agreed to look into the case of Kim Lebel on April 6, a few hours before the death of Jacques Côté. The court ordered a psychiatric examination of the young man shortly after 11 a.m.
The parents therefore went to the Victoria Park police station in Quebec City with the prescription in hand at noon.
“Already, I feel a slowness, a lack of eagerness, a lack of understanding of the dangerousness that I express strongly at this moment. Go sit down, they tell me curtly, ”said Lucie Drouin.
“Finally someone is coming. I repeat the situation to the police, I speak of psychosis, of dangerousness for us and society and for him too, again there, waiting. He comes back and I say, ‘Hurry up, send a patrol, do something’. »
“He leaves and comes back telling me not to worry, to go back to our house, that they will do background checks. »
Sue the City?
The parents therefore left, worried, in Lac-Saint-Charles. When they arrived, the worst had happened. Kim Lebel, “who would have been in crisis, would have attacked citizens and a 65-year-old man lost his life during the attack”, according to a press release from the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI), which opened investigation of police work.
“It’s not normal to wait four hours from the judge’s order. The police should have immediately picked up the little guy. It’s an unforgivable mistake, in my opinion, ”launched the parents’ lawyer, Marc Bellemare.
“We think that this murder could have been avoided if we had neutralized Kim as soon as the order was obtained,” said Ms.and Bellemare. Because from Victoria post to Lac-Saint-Charles there is not a four-hour drive. »
Kim Lebel was arrested and charged with second degree murder. The parents do not rule out the idea of suing the City of Quebec.
“How can the mayor of Quebec claim to have complete confidence in the Quebec police after what happened? “asks the mother of Kim Lebel, who offered her condolences to the family of the victim.
The SPVQ indicated in a press release on April 8 that “the police governed themselves according to the facts that they had at their disposal at the time of the events”.