An SQ police officer blamed for the use of his weapon

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The police officer Denis Burelle, number 10477 (center), shot 10 projectiles in a half-hour during the riot in Victoriaville.

Catherine Montambeault

Monday, 29 January, 2018 23:01

UPDATE
Monday, 29 January, 2018 23:01

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A police officer of the Sûreté du Québec has just be blamed for not having used his weapon to impact with caution during the riot in full “spring maple” in Victoriaville, wounding at the same time the three protesters.

In a decision issued Monday, the ethics Committee has concluded that the officer Denis Burelle was “overtaken by events” and that he had contravened the rules he had to follow during the demonstration of may 4, 2012.

On this day, hundreds of protesters had made their way in front of the congress centre of Victoriaville, where met with the liberal Party, to protest against the rise in tuition fees. The gathering had quickly turned into a riot.

Aim for the bottom of the body

Denis Burelle was one of six police officers with weapons impact throwing plastic balls, also called sticks kinetic, at a speed up to 266 km/h.

This type of weapon is used to “prevent an individual to perform any act or manoeuvre of a nature to cause serious injury and immediate to a police officer or a citizen,” says the Committee. When an agent is used, it must avoid targeting certain parts of the body, including the head and the cervical spine, without which the projectiles can be fatal.

However, the firing of the agent Burelle reached two protesters in the head and another in the arm, indicates the decision.

Fractures and concussion

Alexandre Allard, a Laval University student, suffered a fractured skull and a double concussion. He is now partially deaf in his left ear.

The student, Dominique Laliberté-Martineau had a double fracture of the jaw and Magali Paquin, a doctoral student, was injured in the forearm.

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Dominique Laliberté-Martineau has suffered a double fracture of the jaw.

“[The three students] were not at all threatening to the police “, has decided the Committee to the effect that they had nothing in their hands and had not launched any missile.

The Committee is holding a hearing to determine the sanction that will be imposed on the police officer Denis Burelle.

Mr. Allard and Ms. Laliberté-Martineau did not want to grant interview to this subject, and The Newspaper has not managed to join Ms. Paquin Monday.

The SQ declined to comment.

–With the QMI Agency