Witness’s objectivity queried at fatal police shooting inquiry
The latest witness to take the stand at the coroner’s inquest into the fatal shooting of a homeless man had his credibility put in question because of his participation in an anti- police brutality march.
Perry Bisson, a former firefighter, came forward as a new witness in the inquest on Alain Magloire’s death.
Magloire, a 41- year- old homeless man who suffered from a mental illness, was shot on Feb. 3, 2014 at the Berri St. bus terminal after an altercation with police during which he threatened officers with a hammer.
Bisson said he made the decision to testify while on vacation earlier this year after reading reports of the inquest.
On the day of the shooting, he said he was on his way to the Grande Bibliothèque when he saw two police officers inside a vehicle accost Magloire. Bisson said he parked his car on Berri St. to watch the intervention and saw the start of the confrontation, but not its conclusion.
Most of the hearing was spent establishing Bisson’s exact position, which he said was just north of the bus entrance of the terminal. From that position, he saw Magloire approach from across the street while flipping a hammer in his hand.
“He didn’t look threatening,” Bisson said. “He never raised the hammer above his shoulder level.”
Bisson said he feared for his life after seeing Magloire pass his car followed by officers with their guns drawn. He said he recalled stories of stray police bullets hitting bystanders. He testified that he did not, however, see the final moments of the altercation, when Magloire jumped on the hood of a police car and raised his hammer toward an officer.
Jean- Nicolas Loiselle, a lawyer for the city, quickly pointed out that Bisson had taken part in a demonstration against police brutality on March 15, 2014, during which he was arrested along with a large group of protesters.
Bisson was one of the leading plaintiffs to launch a class- action lawsuit against the city following the arrest.
The witness was dismissed fol- lowing Loiselle’s interrogation.
The inquest continues over the course of the of the week.
When the inquest adjourned in January, it had heard from a police instructor who examined footage of the shooting and said that lethal force by the officers was justified after trying several non- lethal alternatives.