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

LONGUEUIL — The family of a 15-year-old boy shot dead by a Montreal-area police officer over the weekend has hired a lawyer while an officer involved is now on leave.

Nooran 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.

Police officers had arrived on the scene and confronted the group about 10 minutes after someone called 911, said Quebec’s Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes — which investigates when civilians are injured or killed by police.

There was only one firearm seized at the scene by the watchdog’s investigators, and it belonged to the officer who shot the teenager, said Brigitte Bishop, the head of the BEI. She also said her officers seized a baseball bat, a backpack and ski masks, but no sharp-edged weapons.

The family’s lawyer said they have many unanswered questions.

“The family wants to focus on the enormous loss of Nooran’s death,” Fernando Belton said in an interview on Tuesday. “And it’s clear that this is a family that has many questions about why these young people were targeted by the police.”

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 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 at around 3 p.m., the lawyer said they weren’t informed Nooran was taken to hospital until about five hours later.

Meanwhile, a Longueuil police officer involved in Sunday’s shooting was placed on “indefinite sick leave.”

“His status will be reassessed at the end of this absence, if necessary, based on the investigation findings communicated to us by the BEI,” the force said in a statement.

Longueuil’s police chief also penned a letter to residents, recognizing the entire Longueuil community — including his police members — have been going through a difficult time since Sunday.

Chief Patrick Bélanger said police are fully co-operating with the watchdog’s probe.

“We understand the deep sadness felt by the family, friends, and everyone who came into contact with this young man,” Bélanger said. “We sincerely share their grief.”

Neither the BEI nor the police force said how many officers were involved in the confrontation.

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.

Later on Tuesday, the agency said in a statement that the Montreal police had launched a parallel investigation into the shooting.

On the quiet suburban street where the tragedy played out, a makeshift memorial of flowers and notes formed overnight, with residents coming by to add to the small pile.

Word of a peaceful march on Saturday afternoon starting at the street corner where the incident took place began circulating on social media.

Rezayi’s family, meanwhile, is grieving and 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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.

Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press