Canada

Watchdog finishes investigation into police killing of Montreal-area teenager

Published: 

Quebec’s police watchdog submitted its report on the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Nooran Rezayi to prosecutors, who will decide on possible charges.

Quebec’s police watchdog has wrapped up its investigation into the fatal police shooting of a teenager on Montreal’s South Shore last year.

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) said Wednesday it has submitted its report on the police intervention to Quebec’s public prosecution office, the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP), which will decide whether or not to lay criminal charges.

It added that two expert reports are not yet completed but will be sent to prosecutors at a later date.

On Sept. 21, 2025, Nooran Rezayi, 15, was shot by a Longueuil police (SPAL) officer who was responding to the intersection of Joseph-Daigneault and Monaco streets after receiving a report of a group of people who were allegedly armed.

Nooran Rezayi Nooran Rezayi, 15, was fatally shot by police in Longueuil. (photo: Mehdi Alami)

Rezayi was with his friends, recording a video in the woods prior to the incident.

Once BEI investigators arrived on scene to take over the investigation, they confirmed that the only gun that was found was the one that belonged to the officer who opened fire on Rezayi.

BEI investigators also retrieved a baseball bat, ski masks and a backpack at the scene.

The officer who fired his weapon has since been placed on administrative leave.

The killing of Rezayi shocked the community, which held protests demanding justice for the slain teenager.

His family has also launched a $2.2 million lawsuit against Longueuil police.

A vehicle belonging to the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is parked in Longueuil on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in the neighbourhood where young Nooran Rezayi was killed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christine Muschi A vehicle belonging to the Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is parked in Longueuil on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in the neighbourhood where young Nooran Rezayi was killed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christine Muschi

Montreal police (SPVM) are conducting a separate investigation into the events leading up to the killing, but not the killing itself.

Last month, officers carried out a series of searches at homes in Beloeil, Brossard, Candiac, Longueuil and Saint-Philippe as part of the probe.

No arrests were made, and the investigation is ongoing.

It is historically rare for police officers in Quebec to face criminal charges following a BEI investigation.

The watchdog looks into all cases in which a civilian dies, becomes seriously injured, or is injured by a police firearm during an intervention.

Nooran Rezayi Hundreds of people pass by a a memorial for Nooran Rezayi, in Longueuil, Que., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Rezayi, a 15-year-old boy, was shot dead by police after officers responded to a 911 call about a group of armed young people in a public place in Longueuil. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press)
Nooran Rezayi A teenager light candles and pay respects at the memorial site for classmate Nooran Rezayi, who 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 on Thursday, September 25, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)