A family of Dollard-des-Ormeaux brought legal action against the police service of the City of Montreal (SVPM). Stuck under the shots during an armed intervention against a suspicious third party, she criticizes the police their negligence and their temerity, faults for whom she claims nearly $ 6.5 million.
On August 4, 2024, members of the Abdallah family simply returned to camping and were unloading their car, when they saw the police in the active prosecution of a suspect, we can read in the request filed at the Court. He challenges a neighbor, demanding the keys to his vehicle. As he did not have them on him, the suspect’s attention headed for Houssam Abdallah, the family’s father.
He immediately orders his two children, Jana and Abdel-Rahman, to take refuge inside their residence, which they will not have time to do before the shots begin to rain. The suspect’s suspect with his firearm and demands that the keys of the vehicle be given. Under this threat, Houssam Abdallah replied that they are in the car and tries to take refuge in his turn. The suspect then fills shots in the opposite direction to the family, and the SPVM replied by opening fire to the Abdallah family, he alleged in the pursuit.
During this fire exchange, the son Abdel-Rahman suffered from a projectile near the spine. Seeing this, his father intervenes as a human shield between the bullets and his children. In doing so, it has six projectiles.
“When I saw a ball reaching my son, the decision to throw myself to protect my children was simple. An instinct, an act that I will do without hesitation despite the suffering that followed, “said Abdallah by press release.
Despite their injuries, the two men would have been handcuffed, arrested without regard to their wounds and detained, they deplore the legal action, where it can be read that the other family members were seriously traumatized by the events.
The independent investigation office revised the actions of the police that day and thereafter, the director of criminal and criminal proceedings (DPCP) concluded that he had no reasons for depositing accusations against SPVM agents.
The family alleges having suffered numerous damages due to this arrest and imputes it to the negligence and temerity of the police.
“The SPVM police officers involved omitted to take the basic precautionary measures aimed at ensuring the safety of third parties during the intervention, in particular by continuing an open fire operation in a residential area, while many civilians were nearby,” it is written. They are also criticized for the arrest and illegal detention of the father and his son.
In total, the various family members demand nearly 6.5 million in the SPVM. The sums are claimed for the serious physical injuries suffered by Houssam and Abdel-Rahman, for the psychological damage caused to those who witnessed this violent scene where they feared for the lives of their loved ones. Damage is also requested to compensate for the loss of income of family members who have been too injured or traumatized to work, and finally, punitive damage.