Judge tosses seized gun over racial profiling of Black driver, cites ‘systemic' problem inside Peel police
A Peel Regional Police officer engaged in the racial profiling of a Black motorist in an example of a 'systemic' problem within the service, a judge has ruled.
The case, which resulted in the unravelling of a firearms prosecution, adds to a list of similar incidents that demonstrate a 'systemic and intractable problem' within the police service, Superior Court Justice Renu Mandhane said in a sharply worded ruling that excluded a rifle discovered in an unlawful search of a Jeep driven by a Black man.
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Montreal Gazette
a day ago
- Montreal Gazette
McGill Ghetto murder trial: ‘I was dealing with all sorts of evil'
By François Pelletier, the man on trial for the murder of 24-year-old Romane Bonnier, ran out of time Friday before he could tell the jury hearing his case about the day of the brutal slaying in the McGill Ghetto more than three years ago. Friday was Pelletier's third day on the witness stand in a first-degree murder trial at the Montreal courthouse, where the 39-year-old is acting as his own lawyer. His testimony has been confusing, full of unfinished thoughts and asides on pop culture references he appears to be fixated on. When he brought up Brave New World, the book by Aldous Huxley, yet again late Friday afternoon, Superior Court Justice François Dadour abruptly called it a day. The judge noted he had asked the jury to stay an extra 45 minutes with the hope Pelletier would reach the end of his testimony in principle before the weekend. Instead, Pelletier is expected to testify on Monday about Oct. 19, 2021, the day he stabbed Bonnier 26 times in front of several stunned witnesses. He will then be cross-examined by either prosecutor Louis Bouthillier or prosecutor Marianna Ferraro. The Crown's theory of the case is earlier in 2021, Pelletier met Bonnier after she placed an ad seeking a roommate to share the apartment she was already living in, and they had a brief relationship after he moved in. It did not end well and, on Oct. 19, 2021, he killed the woman who dreamed of being an actor on Broadway. The jury has heard evidence Bonnier put a quick end to the relationship and, on Sept. 1, 2021, Pelletier moved out of the apartment as had already been planned. On Friday, Pelletier said September was difficult for him as he rented a room to start, but he couldn't take the noise there and ended up moving in with a friend on Oct. 1. 'In late September, I'm still trying to figure (the breakup) out,' he said, adding he was having nightmares in which he killed Bonnier. 'I was dealing with all sorts of evil. 'Towards the end, I was trying to tell (Bonnier) that I was not well.' Pelletier said Bonnier ignored many text messages he sent to her and she asked him to 'stop harassing her' after he met her mother and asked her to tell Bonnier to read his messages. 'She finally did agree to give me a last 30 minutes in her presence. I was like, that sounds like a fair deal, right,' Pelletier told the jury. 'We actually did meet, on Oct. 11, (2021) on McGill (University's) campus. At that point, I was in a rather rough shape, but I showed up. I had been requesting this meeting and I was getting it. At that point, I was deeply immersed into this different interpretation of things. I had been cooking in it for weeks now.' Pelletier said he and Bonnier sat on a bench for the conversation and it was clear 'Romane had moved on.' 'She was not just like a girl to me, she was like my twin flame,' he said. 'I was thinking about her all the time.' Before he described the meeting at the university campus, he told the jury about a scene from the movie Dude, Where's My Car?, a goofball comedy starring actor Ashton Kutcher. Pelletier said he compared his inability to communicate with Bonnier, through text messages, to a scene in the movie where 'these two idiots' are unable to understand each other. 'So there we were. I didn't get any of my answers, no explanation,' Pelletier said. 'I was not expecting Romane to tell me what I wanted to hear or anything specific. I just wanted her to tell me ... I don't know exactly what I wanted her to tell me. 'I chose not to ask her at all (about their relationship). We talked about a bunch of stuff. Essentially, it was just back and forth and then I went away from there.' Pelletier said before they parted ways that day he gave Bonnier a hug. 'It was like hugging a corpse, really,' he said. 'I was in bad shape already and that (hug) was bad.' Pelletier added the last words Bonnier told him before she walked away was: 'Have fun.'
Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former DC police officer sentenced to 18 months for lying about leaking info to Proud Boys leader
WASHINGTON (AP) — A retired police officer was sentenced on Friday to serve 18 months behind bars for lying to authorities about leaking confidential information to the Proud Boys extremist group's former top leader, who was under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner in the nation's capital. Shane Lamond was a lieutenant for the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., when he fed information about its banner burning investigation to then-Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. Last December, after a trial without a jury, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., convicted Lamond of one count of obstructing justice and three counts of making false statements. Tarrio attended Lamond's sentencing and later called for Trump to pardon Lamond. 'I ask that the Justice Department and the President of the United States step in and correct the injustice that I just witnessed inside this courtroom,' Tarrio said outside the courthouse after the sentencing. Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for Lamond. 'Because Lamond knew what he did was wrong, he lied to cover it up — not just to the Federal Agents who questioned his actions, but to this Court,' they wrote. 'This is an egregious obstruction of justice and a betrayal of the work of his colleagues at MPD.' Lamond's lawyers argued that a prison sentence isn't warranted. 'Mr. Lamond gained nothing from his communications with Mr. Tarrio and only sought, albeit in a sloppy and ineffective way, to gain information and intelligence that would help stop the violent protesters coming to D.C. in late 2020, early 2021,' they wrote. Tarrio pleaded guilty to burning the banner stolen from a historic Black church in downtown Washington in December 2020. He was arrested two days before dozens of Proud Boys members stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Tarrio wasn't at the Capitol that day, but a jury convicted him of orchestrating a violent plot to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 election. Lamond testified at his bench trial that he never provided Tarrio with sensitive police information. Tarrio, who testified as a witness for Lamond's defense, said he did not confess to Lamond about burning the banner and did not receive any confidential information from him. But the judge did not find either man's testimony to be credible. Jackson said the evidence indicated that Lamond was not using Tarrio as a source after the Dec. 12, 2020, banner burning. 'It was the other way around,' she said. Lamond, of Colonial Beach, Virginia, retired in May 2023 after 23 years of service to the police department. Lamond, who met Tarrio in 2019, had supervised the intelligence branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau. He was responsible for monitoring groups like the Proud Boys when they came to Washington. Prosecutors said Lamond tipped off Tarrio that a warrant for his arrest had been signed. They pointed to messages that suggest Lamond provided Tarrio with real-time updates on the police investigation. Lamond's indictment says he and Tarrio exchanged messages about the Jan. 6 riot and discussed whether Proud Boys members were in danger of being charged in the attack. 'Of course I can't say it officially, but personally I support you all and don't want to see your group's name and reputation dragged through the mud,' Lamond wrote. Lamond said he was upset that a prosecutor labeled him as a Proud Boys 'sympathizer' who acted as a 'double agent' for the group after Tarrio burned a stolen Black Lives Matter banner in December 2020. 'I don't support the Proud Boys, and I'm not a Proud Boys sympathizer,' Lamond testified. Lamond said he considered Tarrio to be a source, not a friend. But he said he tried to build a friendly rapport with the group leader to gain his trust. ___
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
AIR MAIL FAIL: Man, 22, busted after gun found in parcel at Pearson airport
A search warrant later executed in North York allegedly led to the seizure of two more handguns, ammunition and illicit drugs Jayden Edwards-Reid, 22, of Toronto is charged with firearms trafficking and numerous other gun and drug offences after a firearm was intercepted at Toronto Pearson International Airport in a parcel bound for Manitoba on Nov. 2, 2024. Photo by Handout / Peel Regional Police A 22-year-old man is accused of trafficking firearms through the mail after a parcel containing a 9mm handgun was intercepted at a Toronto airport late last year. Peel Regional Police say investigators from the Airport Division Criminal Investigations Bureau (CIB) subsequently arrested the Toronto man for numerous drug and weapon offences. A package containing a suspected firearm was intercepted at a parcel screening center at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Nov. 2, 2024, Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said in a statement released Friday. He said police took custody of the package, which was destined for Manitoba, and located 'an illegal Glock 19' along with 'a prohibited magazine containing ammunition.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'After a lengthy investigation, the Airport Division CIB identified the sender of the package and executed a search warrant at a residence in North York,' Andrews said. Officers allegedly seized two handguns, ammunition and various illicit drugs that included 1.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine, as well as an undisclosed amount of suspected Percocet, methamphetamine and cannabis. This Glock 19 9mm handgun, a prohibited magazine and ammunition were allegedly intercepted at Toronto Pearson International Airport in a parcel bound for Manitoba on Nov. 2, 2024. Photo by Handout / Peel Regional Police Investigators identified a suspect and arrested him on May 16. Jayden Edwards-Reid is charged with firearms trafficking; three counts of unauthorized possession of firearm; three counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon; three counts of knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm; four counts of careless storage of a firearm, weapon, prohibited device or ammunition; two counts of possession of a prohibited device; careless storage of ammunition; and possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to call the Airport Division CIB at 905-453-2121, ext. 3133, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). cdoucette@ @sundoucette Olympics NHL Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Ontario
