The death of Sûreté du Québec (SQ) policewoman Maureen Breau in the line of duty will be the subject of a public coroner’s inquest.
The Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, made an official request to this effect on Tuesday, a week after the death of Sergeant Breau in Louiseville, at the age of 42. Chief Coroner Pascale Descary agreed during the afternoon.
“Details of this inquest and hearing dates will be released at a later date,” the Coroner’s Office said in a press release.
Maureen Breau lost her life on March 27 while arresting a suspect, Isaac Brouillard-Lessard, in connection with alleged threats. Arrested at his home, the 35-year-old man seized a knife and stabbed the policewoman, before being shot.
On the sidelines of a parliamentary committee meeting in Quebec City on Tuesday, the director general of the SQ, Johanne Beausoleil, spoke of a situation “very difficult to live with”. “It is a tragic event and all our efforts are put to be there in support of our troops,” she said.
The Independent Investigations Office is already investigating the events that led to Ms Breau’s death, the first death of a police officer in the line of duty in six years. The launch of a public inquiry will allow the affected coroner, Géhane Kamel, to hear experts and witnesses and to “propose possible solutions for better protection of human life”.
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Isaac Brouillard Lessard had a criminal history and was due to appear next May before the Quebec Mental Disorders Review Commission. On Tuesday, François Bonnardel promised to follow up on the coroner’s recommendations regarding the investigation.
“Is there information sharing that should be done better? I do not necessarily want to wait for the conclusions of this report, for me, it is necessary to go to the front. But beyond all that, these recommendations will be extremely important for the future,” he said.
The city’s mayor, Yvon Deshaies, as well as the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, Éric Duhaime, were among those who called for a public investigation by the Coroner’s Office.