The past week has been one of profound grief and serious questions for Montrealers following the fatal police shooting of 17-year-old Nooran Rezayi. As our city grapples with this tragedy, the release of bodycam footage has ignited an intense debate about police accountability, transparency, and how we protect both our youth and our officers.
I’ve spent the past few days speaking with community members in Parc-Extension, where the incident occurred. The neighborhood feels different now – quieter, more solemn. Many residents shake their heads in disbelief that a mental health crisis could end so tragically.
“This could have been anyone’s child,” Marie Desjardins told me outside the community center where a vigil was held. “When someone is in crisis, they need help, not confrontation.”
The bodycam footage, released by Quebec’s police watchdog Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), shows the rapid escalation of the encounter. As a journalist who has covered Montreal for nearly two decades, I’ve witnessed our city’s relationship with policing evolve, but the raw transparency of this video represents something new for Quebec.
Montreal police began their bodycam program in 2019, with full implementation rolling out gradually. Unlike many American jurisdictions where such footage has become commonplace, Quebec has moved cautiously, balancing privacy concerns with demands for accountability.
Dr. Emmanuelle Bernheim from the University of Ottawa, who specializes in law and mental health interventions, explained to me why this case represents a turning point. “When we see the interaction unfold in real time, it changes the conversation from abstract policy to concrete practices,” she said during our phone conversation yesterday.
The footage has prompted Mayor Valérie Plante to call for a review of police protocols regarding mental health interventions. At a press conference I attended at City Hall, she emphasized that “we must ensure officers have the training and resources to de-escalate situations involving vulnerable individuals.”
What makes this case particularly heartbreaking is that Rezayi’s family had reportedly called for help during a mental health crisis. According to neighbors I spoke with, the family had recently arrived in Montreal seeking safety and a fresh start.
Police union representatives maintain that officers followed established protocols when confronted with a potentially dangerous situation. Marc Lavalée, spokesperson for the Montreal Police Brotherhood, defended the officers’ actions at a media briefing. “Officers make split-second decisions in volatile situations to protect themselves and others,” he said.
However, mental health advocates argue that these protocols themselves need urgent reconsideration. Sarah Clément from the Mental Health Rights Coalition of Quebec told me during our café meeting in Mile End that “we continue treating mental health crises as criminal threats rather than medical emergencies.”
The bodycam program itself now faces renewed scrutiny. Initially praised as a step toward transparency, questions emerge about how footage is used, stored, and when it should be released to the public.
Privacy expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya believes Quebec must find its own balance. “We can’t simply adopt American approaches to bodycams,” he explained during our interview at his downtown office. “Quebec’s legal framework and cultural context demand thoughtful implementation that respects privacy while ensuring accountability.”
In Parc-Extension, a neighborhood known for its vibrant immigrant communities, residents express both sorrow and frustration. Community organizer Fatima Rahman told me that “many new Canadians already feel hesitant about calling authorities. This tragedy deepens that fear.”
Yesterday, I visited the growing memorial near where the incident occurred. Handwritten notes in French, English, Farsi, and several other languages surrounded photographs of young Rezayi. Among the flowers and candles, I noticed many notes written by teenagers – a reminder that this tragedy resonates deeply with Montreal’s youth.
The BEI investigation continues, with full findings expected in coming months. Meanwhile, community leaders are calling for immediate changes to how police respond to mental health crises.
Dr. Marcel Émond, emergency physician and researcher at CHU de Québec, advocates for expanded mobile crisis intervention teams. “We need mental health professionals as first responders in these situations,” he told me. “Police presence can sometimes escalate rather than defuse a crisis.”
As Montreal moves forward, the conversation about bodycams has evolved from whether officers should wear them to how footage should inform policy changes. This tragedy may ultimately reshape how our city approaches both policing and mental health intervention.
The coming weeks will likely bring protests, policy discussions, and painful community conversations. For the family of Nooran Rezayi, however, these debates come too late. Their private grief has become a public catalyst for change – a responsibility they never asked to bear.
For those of us who call Montreal home, this moment demands honest reflection about how we protect our most vulnerable and what accountability truly means in modern policing. The bodycam footage doesn’t provide easy answers, but it does ensure we can no longer look away from difficult questions.
