Quebec coroner Luc Malouin speaks at the beginning of a coroner’s inquest in Quebec City, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. A coroner's report into the 2017 death of a man at the hands of Montreal police finds the intervention wasn't carried out properly. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
MONTREAL – A coroner’s report into the 2017 death of a man killed by Montreal police says arresting officers used unnecessary force and lacked proper training in de-escalation tactics.
Coroner Luc Malouin says in his report released today on the death of Koray Kevin Celik that police were unprepared when they arrived at his home on March 6, 2017, in the Montreal neighbourhood of ÃŽle-Bizard.
His parents called police because they wanted to prevent Celik, 28, from driving a car while intoxicated.
Responding officers tried to subdue Celik with force, and his parents said they witnessed police repeatedly beat their son with their feet and knees before the unarmed man stopped breathing.
Malouin says the force used by police was unnecessary and that none of them had received training in de-escalation tactics or in strategies to deal with people in crisis.
The coroner says the City of Montreal since 2019 requires its officers to receive de-escalation training.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2023.
