François Legault on Monday nuanced his controversial statement from last week, saying he was “happy we are rid of Abdulla Shaikh, the suspected perpetrator of a series of three senseless murders in Montreal and Laval.”
• Also read: Murder series: “I’m glad we’re rid of this individual,” says Legault
• Also read: “We must not give in to fear”; Valérie Plante responds to incidents of gun violence
“What I wanted to say is I’m glad the suspect was taken down. [d’état] to harm,” said the Prime Minister on the sidelines of the unveiling of his candidate in Duplessis, Kateri Champagne Jourdain.
“Obviously I wasn’t happy that he died,” added Mr. Legault. I do not want that. There are indeed people with mental health problems.
Abdulla Shaikh suffered from schizophrenia and was diagnosed by specialists with antisocial and narcissistic personality traits. He was shot dead by the Tactical Intervention Group officers after allegedly shooting at them twice.
A police investigation and another by the Coroner’s Office will shed light on events, particularly to understand why the person was released, Premier Legault said.
François Legault’s words had shocked Abdulla Shaikh’s lawyer, who shares the same name as the Prime Minister. “It is very disturbing to hear this from the Prime Minister. We live in a legal society governed by democratic institutions. There is the judicial system, which is one of the pillars of that system. The justice system ensures that anyone who is arrested and charged is presumed innocent,” said François Legault.
“You can’t say, ‘I’m glad we got rid of this person.’ It is extremely disturbing to hear that,” Mr Shaikh’s lawyer had hammered.
In addition, the prime minister used his visit to Sept-Îles on Monday to explain that a new agreement is imminent with the Innus of the North Coast to create a partnership similar to the Baix des Braves struck in 2002 between Quebec and the Baix des Braves Crees.
“We are in talks with almost all nations, but I would say that the one with the Innu is perhaps the most advanced,” Mr Legault commented alongside his nominee, herself born to an Innu father and non-Native mother.
“The idea is to do it a bit like the Crees: have a global agreement that eventually covers some funding and projects that we can do together,” Mr. Legault said.