samkorn's blog

On August 9, 2008, Montreal Police Officers Jean-Loup Lapointe and his partner, Stephanie Pilotte intervened and attempted to stop a dice-playing group of youth in a Montreal North neighbourhood park, because they were supposedly violating a city bylaw against such gambling. Within a minute of their initial intervention, Lapointe was blazing away from the hip with his police-issue pistol in Wild, Wild West fashion, killing 18 year-old Fredy Villanueva and wounding two of his friends (one in the back), all of who had been UNARMED.

At the present and ongoing Montreal coroner's inquest into said shooting, the Villanueva Inquiry, Constable Lapointe testified that he opened fire on Fredy Villanueva and friends because he feared loosing his weapon to them, and having it turned on himself and partner, partly because of an easily-accessible, gun-release mechanism in his holster.

Lapointe also testified that he carries a gun at all times, day and night, because he fears reprisals from Fredy's "active street gang" friends. Also acknowledged at the same inquest was the fact that in July 2006, Lapointe pepper-sprayed a group of "aggresive" women during another altercation because again "he feared he would be disarmed."

Other inquiries in the past involving Montreal Police have focused on "hair-trigger" .357 Magnum service revolvers, faulty Tazers, suspects resisting arrest, cases of mistaken identity, etc., etc... Were any of these excuses a legitimate defence or simply a smokescreen for police to hide possible ineptitude and incompetence on their part, and to avoid criminal prosecution for negligently killing somebody in the line of duty?

Perhaps the Montreal Police Department ought to conduct more stringent and regular psychological profiling and competency-testing of it's own officers before hiring them, and throughout their careers, in order to prevent trajic and unecessary deaths, like that of Fredy Villanueva and countless others, from re-occurring in the future.

From all accounts, it seems that Officer Jean-Loup(wolf) Lapointe might just be a little too paranoid for someone in his line of work. If so, what the heck is he still doing armed and patrolling the streets of Montreal? Given his past record, it's just a matter of time, before he shoots, Tazers, pepper or mace-sprays somebody else.

In the interest of public safety, Montreal Police should at the very least re-assign Jean-Loup Lapointe to administrative desk duty for as long as he remains a cop!