The Crown has not proven that it was Ali Ngarukiye who attacked police officer Sanjay Vig and shot him in the street in January 2021. No witness was even able to identify him. That’s what the defense argued to the jury Wednesday during its closing arguments.
“Ask yourself whether the totality of the evidence points to guilt beyond a reasonable doubt [d’Ali Ngarukiye] ? », repeated the defense lawyer Me Sharon Sandiford.
Ali Ngarukiye, 24, is accused of attempting to kill officer Sanjay Vig of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), while he was patrolling solo on Crémazie Boulevard, in Montreal, on January 28 2021. Officer Vig was hit from behind by an assailant, when he had just intercepted motorist Mamadi Camara – wrongly accused, then exonerated.
According to the Crown, the evidence shows that Ali Ngarukiye stole two cars three days before the attack, then used one of them to park near the intersection where Officer Vig was. He then waited for the “perfect moment” to attack the police officer with an iron bar. Ali Ngarukiye then stole the police officer’s gun and shot him twice. One of the bullets grazed his head and passed through his coat.
The defense reiterated that no witness had clearly identified Ali Ngarukiye as the attacker. One witness was not even able to identify the race of those involved in the altercation, while another did not see their faces, Ms.e Sandiford.
PHOTO FILED AS PROOF
Ali Ngarukiye is accused of trying to kill agent Sanjay Vig
Also, since Agent Vig had blurred vision and blood in his face during the attack, was he able to “clearly see” his assailant?, asked Me Sandiford. On the other hand, the car thefts perpetrated three days earlier had “absolutely” nothing to do with the attack, the defense argued.
Also, the defense suggests that the jury question the credibility and reliability of Mamadi Camara. At the trial, the latter said he saw the police officer fighting with his assailant. He described the attacker as being taller and heavier than him. However, according to Me Sandiford, the evidence shows that the two men are very similar in stature.
He wanted to “kill police officers”
Ali Ngarukiye’s intention was clear to the Crown: “He was there to kill a police officer”, pleaded Wednesday morning the prosecutor Me Jasmine Guillaume on her third day of pleadings. Ali Ngarukiye even had a motive: he had told an imam a few months earlier that he wanted to “kill police officers”. In his eyes, Canada was a country of “non-believers.”
“This is the motive behind Agent Vig’s attack,” said Mr.e Guillaume.
However, according to the defense, the imam in question, Hassan Habib, had a grudge against Ali Ngarukiye since the accused’s sister had refused to marry him. The imam then sent an extremely hateful email to the mother of the accused. Even if the imam continued to be around Ali Ngarukiye after this incident, that does not mean that he no longer wanted to take “revenge”, pleaded Me Sandiford.
After the attack on Officer Vig, Ali Ngarukiye hid for two days in the Imam Habib mosque in Toronto, according to the Crown. He went there with one of the two cars stolen in Montreal. Agent Vig’s DNA was found in this vehicle. Also, Ngarukiye’s DNA was found on glasses left at the crime scene.
PHOTO FILED AS PROOF
These glasses found at the crime scene belong to Ali Ngarukiye, pleads the Crown
Me Sandiford will conclude his closing argument Thursday. She intends to raise the issue of DNA and racial profiling in conclusion.