Almost seven years after Jamal Francique Jr. was shot and killed near his Mississauga home by Peel police, a coroner’s inquest Friday heard from his parents, who pleaded for answers over how an attempted arrest ended in their son’s death.
asserted
arrest → shoot → death
“We’re not fighting for a thug, we’re fighting for our child,” his father Derak Francique Sr., told the inquest through tears on its first day.
asserted
father → fight → day
During his opening remarks to the jury, inquest counsel Roger Shallow said the 28-year-old man and father of two was shot and killed by Det.-Const. Milan Ivkovic the evening of Jan. 7, 2020, after members of the Peel police’s street crime unit went to a townhouse complex, where Francique lived with his mother and younger brother, near Eglinton Avenue West and Winston Churchill Boulevard, to arrest him for breaching bail conditions.
asserted
Francique → open → conditions
Ann-Marie White is embroiled in a legal battle to hold Peel police liable for the death of her
Shallow said the jury’s role was to determine what the evidence establishes about how Francique came to his death and then “consider what, if anything, can be learned from his death that may help prevent another family from experiencing a loss like this one.”
The public hearing, which is mandatory under the Coroners Act because of police involvement, is not a criminal proceeding.
uncertain
which → embroil → involvement
The provinces police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), cleared the officers of any criminal wrongdoing a year after the shooting.
asserted
watchdog → clear → shooting
Francique’s mother Ann-Marie White told the inquest “my heart is broken.
asserted
heart → tell → inquest
My world has been turned upside down.
asserted
world → turn → ?
“I enjoy watching my grandchildren grow up, even knowing that Jamal is not here to witness those moments with them,” she said Friday.
asserted
she → watch → them
Francique Sr. said that he’s seeking accountability and transparency about police tactics used in the operation, de-escalating techniques that could’ve been used to avoid the use of force, and “the role that anti-black racism may have played in the police decision-making.”
uncertain
racism → say → making
How the events of Jan. 7, 2020 unfolded
Just over a year before the shooting, Francique had been charged with gun and drug offences by Guelph police, the jury heard.
asserted
jury → unfold → police
He was released on house arrest in June 2019.
asserted
He → release → June
Peel police received a Crime Stoppers tip in December 2019 alleging that Francique was dealing drugs and was in possession of a firearm, Shallow said.
asserted
Shallow → receive → firearm
Members of the specialized unit conducted covert surveillance on Francique on Jan. 4, 2020 and the day before he was shot, but was unable to find any corroboration of the allegations they had received.
asserted
they → conduct → allegations
The officers did conclude that Francique was observed breaching his house arrest conditions, according to a summary of the events shared Friday.
uncertain
Francique → conclude → events
Seven members of the team visited his residence in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles with a plan to arrest him, Shallow said.
asserted
Shallow → visit → him
“The plan was to wait for Mr. Francique to enter his vehicle where upon a team member would position their vehicle behind the vehicle associated to Mr. Francique,” Shallow said of the black Acura sedan that was parked about 200 metres from Francique’s home.
asserted
that → wait → home
A tire deflating device was placed behind one of the wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving.
asserted
device → deflate → vehicle
Shortly before 7:45 p.m., Francique was seen walking towards the vehicle.
asserted
Francique → see → vehicle
He entered the car and attempted to reverse, Shallow said.
asserted
Shallow → enter → car
“Unfortunately, the officer who was tasked with pulling up his vehicle behind the Acura so that it couldn’t actually reverse out of the parking spot was late in getting there, so Mr. Francique was able to reverse his Acura out of his parking spot,” Shallow said.
asserted
Shallow → task → spot
Francique then accelerated forward.
asserted
Francique → accelerate → ?
One of the officers, “fearing that he’d be run over by Mr. Francique in the Acura, fired his firearm four times in the windshield of the Acura,” the jury heard.
asserted
jury → fear → Acura
Francique was struck in the left side of his head.
asserted
Francique → strike → head
The car then crashed in a nearby townhouse.
asserted
car → crash → townhouse
A satchel containing a firearm was found inside the vehicle.
asserted
satchel → contain → vehicle
Police called for another tactical unit to attend to make a safe and controlled entry of the vehicle, Shallow said.
asserted
Shallow → call → vehicle
About 20 to 25 minutes had elapsed before that unit arrived and made a shielded approach to the Acura, where they found Francique was “ultimately in agony, dying, wounded,” he said.
asserted
he → elapse → agony
He was extricated and taken to hospital.
asserted
He → extricate → hospital
Family also suing police
asserted
Family → sue → police
The inquest is expected to last 10 days and hear from 12 witnesses, including several Peel police officers involved in the operation.
asserted
inquest → expect → operation
After it’s done, the jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths involving police.
uncertain
jury → do → police
Francique’s family is suing police, alleging the officers acted with malice and used excessive and unlawful force, and also filed a complaint with the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (LECA), which was dismissed.
asserted
which → sue → Agency
Francique’s death involved a pattern of “highly dangerous and racialized policing tactics” supported by a systemic lack of training and accountability within the police service, the family’s claim states.
uncertain
claim → involve → service
Peel police intend to fight the civil suit and reject that there was any negligence on their part or that Francique was assaulted or that excessive force was used, given the circumstances.
asserted
force → intend → circumstances
The Aporia
