Death of Fredy Villanueva
| Date | August 9, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Time | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Parc Henri-Bourassa, Montréal-Nord, Quebec, Canada |
| Participants | Constable Jean-Loup Lapointe (shooter) |
| Deaths | Fredy Villanueva |
| Non-fatal injuries | Jeffrey Sagor Météllus, Denis Méas |
| Charges | None filed |
The shooting of Fredy Alberto Villanueva occurred on August 9, 2008, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Villanueva, a Honduran immigrant, was shot and killed by a Montreal Police officer in the parking lot of Montreal North's Henri-Bourassa Arena, near Rolland Boulevard and Pascal Street, just after 7:00 p.m. Two other men were injured in the shooting. No criminal charges were filed against the officers involved. Villanueva's death lead to protests in Montreal.
Fredy Alberto Villanueva was born on April 6, 1990 in Honduras, and was eighteen years old at the time of his death. He was a Montreal resident. Fredy Villanueva arrived in Quebec with his older brother, Dany, and his three sisters, Patricia, Wendy and Lilian, on December 5, 1998. They joined their parents and Gilberto Villanueva Madrid and Lilian who had been in Canada for refugee status after leaving the Honduras in a context where the father has survived two attempted murders related to land conflict.
Fredy Villanueva had no criminal record. According to M e Pierre-Yves Boisvert, SPVM counsel to the inquest, Fredy Villanueva was not identified as a street gang member.
Dany Villanueva was arrested on several occasions since 2005, mostly for petty theft. In April 2006 he was sentenced to serve a sentence of eleven months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of robbery. Dany Villanueva was then 19 years old and this was his first conviction. According to the complainant's version, Dany Villanueva stole his neck chain without using violence at Henri-Bourassa Park in September 14, 2005. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of being found in a car in the presence of a firearm while he was in the company of four individuals wearing red scarves.
Villanueva, his brother, Dany, and three other men were playing an illegal game of dice in a parking lot when Constable Jean-Loup Lapointe and Constable Stéphanie Pilotte approached them, as their game of dice was contrary to a municipal bylaw. The reason for the police action was the fact that gambling with money is prohibited in Montreal North park under Article 12 e) of the Regulations parks, pools and public buildings. The constables identified some of those present as local gang members, including a known member of the Bloods street gang named Jeffrey Sagor Météllus, as well as another man who Lapointe also recognized as a street-gang member. Lapointe stopped his car and called the men over; all of them complied with his order with the exception of Dany Villanueva, who instead began walking away. At that point Lapointe exited his cruiser and ordered the man to identify himself. Dany refused and Lapointe then tried to take him into custody, concerned that might be armed. Lapointe said some of the men shouted out in protest and began to form a line behind the officers. He said he felt "surrounded and confined against his car." Lapointe said Villanueva fought back, forcing the officer to push him to the ground. Pilotte was subsequently kicked several times and Lapointe was punched in the face. Lapointe then noticed the other four men moving in on him; two of them appeared to be reaching toward his neck and his belt, where his holstered gun was located. One of the men grabbed Lapointe's neck and he realized that his partner "was not in a position to come to (his) defence... and (he) was not physically capable of overcoming these men." The men were ordered to back up but refused, and Lapointe said that he "saw no other alternative than to fire immediately." Lapointe said his concern about the threat of being disarmed by the men was so great that he shot his gun "three or four times," before he was able to remove it from its holster. One gunshot struck and killed Fredy Villanueva. Jeffrey Sagor Météllus and another man, Denis Méas, were also struck and injured. Only approximately 60 seconds had passed from the time the officers exited their vehicle to the time the shots were fired.
...
Wikipedia