National News

Local teenagers sit on the street where one person died after being shot by police on Montreal's South Shore of Longueuil, Que., on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

No gun was seized from teenager shot dead by Montreal-area police: watchdog

By The Canadian Press

Published 10:23 PDT, Tue September 23, 2025

Last Updated: 10:36 PDT, Tue September 23, 2025

—

The family of a 15-year-old boy shot dead by Montreal-area police over the weekend has retained the services of a lawyer and is preparing for his funeral, the teenager's uncle said Tuesday.

"There isn't anything more to say, the family is broken," Ali Khamedi said in a brief phone exchange, identifying the young victim as Nooran Rezayi.

Rezayi was killed on Sunday afternoon after police responded to a report of a group of armed people in a quiet suburban neighbourhood in Longueuil, Que., south of Montreal.

But on Tuesday, Quebec's Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — which investigates when civilians are injured or killed by police — said the only firearm seized at the scene came from the officer who shot the teenager. Brigitte Bishop, the head of the watchdog agency, said her officers also seized a baseball bat, a backpack and ski masks, but no sharp-edged weapons.

Two witnesses told The Canadian Press on Monday that prior to the shooting, the group of young people told them they were going to shoot a movie in a nearby wooded area. They said that a few minutes later, shots were fired and one of the witnesses said she saw a bloodied teenager lying in the street.

The family's attorney, Fernando Belton, said in an interview on Tuesday the family is in mourning but has many questions.

"The family wants to focus on the enormous loss of Nooran's death," Belton said. "And it's clear that this is a family that has many questions about why these young people were targeted by the police."

The lawyer noted there was no criminal offence or violation reported — just youth occupying a public space, which in the lawyer's opinion is perfectly legal.

The family also wants to know why it took so long to inform them of Nooran's death. While the shooting occurred about 3 p.m., it wasn't until 8 p.m. the family learned about his whereabouts in hospital, the lawyer said.

In an unusual move, the watchdog agency on Tuesday held a news conference on the case. The agency doesn't commonly comment publicly on its investigations and has been criticized in the past for its lack of transparency. But Bishop, a seasoned prosecutor who has helmed the bureau since April, felt the need to speak out.

"The purpose of the press conference is to ask the public to collaborate with our investigation," Bishop said. "But I'm preoccupied that we've heard there's a lot of people that are trying to understand what's going on … but they're doing certain private investigations, they're meeting with people."

Bishop said any information the public has should go through her agency. "If somebody saw something, has something, has obtained evidence, please call our office," Bishop said. "Our mission is to shed light on what happened and that's what we're going to do."

Her investigators have met with some 15 witnesses, including adults and teenagers, but not all of the youths who were present at the time of the shooting. As well, she said the agency is also in possession of seven videos, which are being analyzed.

The watchdog has also sent the officer's firearm for ballistics analysis, and Bishop says police officers are co-operating with the investigation.

– Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press