Quebec’s autonomous police oversight body is launching an inquiry following a police pursuit involving three different law enforcement agencies that resulted in one fatality and another individual sustaining serious injuries in the vicinity of Lévis during the night.
Responding to reports of a collision and gunfire on the Pierre-Laporte Bridge in Quebec City, authorities arrived at the scene around 11:30 p.m. on Friday. The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) disclosed that one individual involved in the collision suffered severe injuries, and a suspect evaded the scene in a stolen vehicle.
The suspect’s vehicle reportedly collided head-on with a southbound vehicle on the bridge, leading to gunshots that wounded an individual with two bullets. Provincial police initiated a pursuit of the stolen vehicle shortly before 1:30 a.m., ultimately intercepting it at Lallemand Road and Guillaume-Couture Boulevard in Lévis.
Law enforcement officers from Sûreté du Québec, Quebec City police service, and Lévis police encircled the vehicle. Subsequently, members of a provincial police tactical unit discovered the unconscious suspect inside the vehicle, whose death was confirmed at the scene.
The injured person from the shooting incident is reported to be in stable condition as per the police oversight agency. Seven BEI investigators have been deployed to examine the circumstances of the intervention, with support from Montreal police. Additionally, Montreal police are conducting a separate inquiry into the events leading up to the police action.
The BEI is seeking to interview witnesses and urges them to reach out through the agency’s website for any information relevant to the investigation.