The Name Of The Black Man Shot & Killed By Montreal Police Thursday Is Sheffield Matthews

A fatal police shooting in CDN-NDG has the community reeling. The Quebec Coroner's Office has confirmed to MTL Blog that a 41-year-old man named Sheffield Matthews was shot and killed by SPVM officers in the early morning of Thursday, October 29. 

Several reports, including a statement from the borough mayor, have identified Matthews as Black.

Here's the information we have.

Editor's Choice: Here's Your Risk Level For Catching COVID-19 Based On The Types Of Contacts You've Had

What is alleged to have happened?

Preliminary information published by the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) on Thursday indicates that a call was made at around 5:50 a.m. to report a man "in a state of crisis." The police arrived at the scene and saw the man, who allegedly approached the car armed with a knife. 

The information submitted to the BEI suggests that the officers remained in their patrol car until the man allegedly approached another car that had a driver in it. 

When police then approached him, according to the account, he "allegedly ran towards the police, still in possession of a knife."

"The policemen then fired and fatally wounded him."

The BEI made clear at the time it released this preliminary information, however, that its investigators still needed to confirm it is "accurate."

The borough mayor of CDN-NDG condemned the shooting

Sue Montgomery, mayor of the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, condemned the shooting in a Facebook post. 

Angered by the death of Matthews at the hands of police officers, Montgomery said that "the senseless killing of people of colour needs to end. Systemic racism is undeniable. It is present in the SPVM and in all facets of our society."

Montgomery underlined the need for the SPVM to improve its relations with the community and put the Plante administration on blast for the recent loss of a local police station. 

"What we need is police accountability. The SPVM is accountable to the municipal council and to all Montrealers," she said. 

"What we need is long-awaited action on combatting racial and social profiling. We need to end discriminatory street checks that target racialized people."

An investigation is ongoing

The BEI assigned eight investigators to the case. The bureau has also called upon the Sûreté du Québec as a "support force" during the investigations. 

A detailed report from the coroner's office is also forthcoming. 

The BEI is asking anyone who might've witnessed the event to file a report with its investigators. 

The BEI has no other details.