The family of a Montreal man killed by police in 2017 is calling on the province’s justice minister to order an independent investigation after the Crown declined to charge the officers involved.
Koray Kevin Celik’s parents issued their request Monday at a news conference, a day before a police ethics commission hearing for some of the officers involved in his death is set to begin.
On March 6, 2017, Celik’s parents called police to their home on Île-Bizard, in northwestern Montreal, because they were worried he would drive while intoxicated.
Police tried to subdue Celik, his parents saying they witnessed officers repeatedly beat their son with their feet and knees before the unarmed man stopped breathing and was in cardiorespiratory arrest.
He was pronounced dead in hospital.
A coroner’s inquest into Celik’s death found that officers “provoked” the violent altercation between them and Celik, and that they were unprepared when they showed up at the family home.
Celik’s parents — June Tyler and Cesur Celik — have previously asked Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette to reopen the case, but he has so far refused.