Latest news with #wellnesscheck
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Concerned Father Believes His Son, 23, Hasn't Left His Apartment in Over a Year
A father on Reddit is worried about his son, who he thinks has not left his apartment in a year The dad visited his son to check in on him, though his son refused to go outside and talk with him The poster is considering calling another wellness check on his son out of concern over his isolating behaviorA father on Reddit has grown increasingly worried about his son, who he believes hasn't left his apartment in a year. On Reddit's r/AmIOverreacting forum, the 47-year-old father writes that he hasn't seen his son in a year, with their last in-person interaction taking place at his graduation. Though he's extended invites to family holiday gatherings, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, his son has declined the invites or not responded at all. "I started getting really worried after Easter, mid April," the dad writes, noting that he called for a wellness check soon after. "They said that he 'seemed fine.' I tried to go out there to talk to him, and he would not open the door," the dad continues. "He only talked to me through the crack of the door. Hearing his voice actually calmed me a bit. But even then he just told me that he couldn't go outside to talk to me." The father notes that he and his son "used to be pretty close," but now feels like his son is trying to "cut [him] off" without explicitly saying so. He and his wife last heard from the 23-year-old on Mother's Day, when the college graduate reached out with a "simple text." "We tried to get him to engage in a conversation. We asked if he'd be coming for dinner. No response," the dad writes. "Now it's been over a year since we think he last left the house," he continues, admitting that "this might be where I'm starting to overreact." The Redditor also asked some of his son's longtime friends "if they've been out with him in the past year," but they told him "they haven't even been able to reach him." "This was a pattern across the friends I asked," the dad writes. "One even said he told her to flat out stop calling." The Reddit user's wife insists that their son may just be busy trying to find a job, prompting his distance, though he's hesitant to believe that's the only factor in their son's sudden reclusive behavior. "I understand that online interviews exist but I cannot grasp the idea that he is looking for a job," the father continues. "If he didn't go outside to talk to me then it's not likely that he would leave to go to a job interview." The worried father also notes that he and his wife have been paying for their son's apartment. In replies to the comments on the post, he explains that their original intention was to "cut him off" after he graduated, though their concern has stopped them from pulling the plug financially. "He has no sense of urgency as my wife and I have been paying for the apartment since he started college so we could make sure he was safe and didn't have debts," he continues. "Before this, my son was very extroverted and active. I don't think we ever spent the majority of a day inside when he was growing up." Read the original article on People
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Chantel Moore's mother walks 33 km in B.C. on anniversary of daughter's killing by police
A couple of months after Chantel Moore, 26, was shot and killed by Edmundston Police during a wellness check in New Brunswick in 2020, Moore's mother and daughter were sitting in a Subway when an RCMP officer walked in. "She was beside me, trembling, this little six-year-old shaking, asking 'Are the police going to kill us?'" said Moore's mother, Martha Martin. Martin, a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation in B.C., said the moment in the sandwich shop led her to try and create a safer world for her granddaughter, and to honour her daughter's memory. She and other community members spent June 4 — the fifth anniversary of Moore's death — on a 33-kilometre memorial walk from the Tofino-Ucluelet Junction to Tofino, B.C. Martin said she chose to hold the walk on Vancouver Island rather than near her home in New Brunswick because of the difference in her relationship with local police in both places. "Right now I'm still not comfortable doing these kinds of demonstrations within the province of New Brunswick," Martin said. She pointed to the killings of Rodney Levi in 2020 and Iggy Dedam in 2024, who were both killed by RCMP in New Brunswick during mental health crises. In an emailed statement to CBC Indigenous, Edmundston Police Chief Steve Robinson said that the force is working to build relationships based on trust and co-operation, and that most staff have received cultural sensitivity training. "In regards to wellness checks, our Police Force is now equipped with body cameras and the mobile crisis service is regularly called upon when it is needed," he said in the statement. They have also hired a full-time outreach worker, Robinson said. An Indigenous-led crisis intervention team was operating in New Brunswick when Dedam was shot by RCMP but the team was not alerted by police until after Dedam was killed. 'A safer feeling' In order to feel comfortable holding an event for Moore in New Brunswick, Martin said she would like to have more conversations about the impacts of police violence which she says hasn't happened with any forces other than the Victoria Police Department (VicPD). "Being out here [in B.C.] and being able to work alongside [Victoria police] Chief Del Manak, there's a little bit of a safer feeling here than what it would be in New Brunswick," she said. Manak, who's been chief of VicPD for nearly a decade, said the department worked hard to build a relationship with Martin over the years since Moore was killed. They first met in-person at Saxe Point Park not long after Moore's death, when the community planned to hold a rally for her at the B.C. legislature. That began a years-long relationship where they mourned Moore and improved wellness checks, he said. Martin said she initially approached with skepticism, but when she saw follow-through, the relationship evolved. "The beauty of the relationship for me as the police chief was that Martha was the driving force behind making positive change in the Victoria Police Department in how police respond to mental health calls," Manak said. Manak said VicPD launched a new way to conduct wellness checks where a plainclothes officer works with a mental health clinician from the local health authority, and that the program is one of the highlights of his 35-year career. Manak also said he was struck by how little anyone seemed to listen to Martin after the deaths of her daughter and son. Max Martin, 23, died in an apparent suicide while in police custody six months after his sister's death. "Martha was a grieving mom and she just wanted answers," Manak said. "People weren't willing to give her the time to listen to her story and all I did was meet with her for an hour and a half and that really changed how I felt." Martin said she thinks it helps for police and other officials to understand the long term impacts violence does to families, and being able to tell her story has helped make positive change. "That gave me hope that, if we can get this done in Victoria, we can get this done across Canada," Martin said.
CBC
20-05-2025
- CBC
Defence wraps at murder trial of man accused of killing OPP officer
Closing arguments will continue in the trial of a man accused of killing an Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer and injuring two others during a 2023 wellness check at his home in Bourget, Ont., east of Ottawa. Alain Bellefeuille has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder at the bilingual Superior Court trial that began in March. On Tuesday, jurors heard final submissions from Bellefeuille's defence lawyer. The Crown is expected to deliver its closing remarks on Wednesday, and the jury could begin deliberating as early as Thursday. The court has heard that Bellefeuille fired the shots that killed Sgt. Eric Mueller and injured constables Mark Lauzon and Francois Gamache in the early morning hours of May 11, 2023. At issue throughout the trial has been whether Bellefeuille knew the people entering his home were police officers, and what his intentions were when he fired multiple volleys from his rifle. Defence attacks Crown case During the trial, Bellefeuille testified he'd been asleep and was awoken by his barking dog, flashing lights and loud banging outside his rented rural home. He said he believed someone was trying to break in. Bellefeuille's defence lawyer Leo Russomanno urged the jury to consider the events from Bellefeuille's perspective, stressing that it all happened over the span of just four minutes — from the time police arrived to the time his client called 911. Russomanno argued Bellefeuille did not have the "luxury of time" nor "clarity" to fully process what was happening, and that he was overwhelmed by "fear and confusion." The jury has heard and seen body-worn camera footage taken from the responding officers. Testimony was also provided by paramedics and a neighbour who had called police with concerns about Bellefeuille's well-being. Accused testified in his own defence During his four days on the witness stand, Bellefeuille repeatedly told court he didn't know the people entering his home were police officers. Testifying in French, he admitted to playing loud music and slamming doors on the night of the incident, explaining he was angry about his imminent eviction by his landlord. He denied the Crown's suggestion that he was in a "murderous rage" that night, and during closing arguments Russomanno said Bellefeuille had "no beef with the police." Crown prosecutors challenged Bellefeuille's credibility, accusing him of illegally modifying his rifle to hold more rounds, and attempting to hide evidence by placing a spent magazine in a cooler in his hunting room, tossing a police-worn body camera into his backyard and placing his own weapon on Mueller's body. Bellefeuille denied making any attempt to mislead investigators, telling court he placed the magazine in the cooler out of habit, and placed his weapon on the officer's body to demonstrate that he was unarmed. Defence casts doubt on accusations The defence also cast doubt on parts of Lauzon's testimony, including whether he drove around the property before entering the home. Russomanno told the jury the Crown's theory — that Bellefeuille was lying in wait for police — lacked common sense. He said his client's behaviour immediately after the shooting, including disarming himself and calling 911, did not match the prosecution's narrative. Jurors were asked to focus on whether Bellefeuille's belief that his home was being invaded was reasonable, and whether the Crown had proven intent beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial is expected to continue Wednesday in L'Orignal with the Crown delivering its closing remarks. The judge is likely to instruct jurors on Thursday before they begin their deliberations.
CBC
13-05-2025
- CBC
Crown attacks Bellefeuille's credibility on his 3rd day of testimony
Social Sharing WARNING: This story contains disturbing written descriptions of violence and coarse language. On the second day of cross-examination and the third day testifying in his own defence on Tuesday, the Crown leaned in to attack the credibility of Alain Bellefeuille, who's accused of murdering an Ontario Provincial Police officer and attempting to murder two others during a wellness check two years ago. In court, a clip of video from Sgt. Eric Mueller's body-worn camera was played back in which Bellefeuille is heard saying in French, "Sorry buddy, it's not your house. You didn't have the right." This was after he had mortally wounded Mueller, critically wounded Const. Marc Lauzon, and fired more shots in the direction of Const. François Gamache-Asselin outside, and before he called 911. At first, Bellefeuille told court he didn't remember saying those words, and that he'd never say something like that. After the video was played back, he testified he was talking out loud to himself. "Is it possible you're only talking to yourself when you say something incriminating?" assistant Crown attorney François Dulude asked. "I talk to myself all the time. Everyone talks to themselves," Bellefeuille testified. 'When will you tell us the truth?' On Monday, another clip was played in which Bellefeuille can be heard screaming, "Break and enter, motherf--ker!" seconds after firing at Mueller and Lauzon. Bellefeuille told court he didn't remember saying anything like that around that time, but that it was possible. After the tape was played back, he again testified that he was talking to himself and was overwhelmed in that moment. "When will you tell us the truth and take responsibility for all the things you said to him?" Dulude asked Tuesday. "I just said it's directed at him but I was talking to myself. That's all I can tell you," Bellefeuille told court. Bellefeuille is testifying in French under questioning by Dulude, also in French. He pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder at the outset of his bilingual trial in Superior Court in L'Orignal, Ont., east of Ottawa, in March. It's an admitted fact that Bellefeuille did the shooting after police were called to his home in Bourget, Ont., for a wellness check called in by concerned neighbours. In question is what he was thinking and when he repeatedly fired his rifle, and what his intentions were. 'There's no story to fabricate' Also on Tuesday, Dulude asked Bellefeuille about his 911 call, made at 2:37 a.m. after he'd fired a total of 17 shots in three separate bursts. On the recording, he tells the dispatcher in English: "Hi, I fired a shot.... Someone broke into my house but unfortunately I shot a police officer." "Even then, you know that Sgt. Mueller is seriously injured, and you're trying to justify your actions?" Dulude asked. "You're starting to fabricate your story. To put on a show.... You're not helping Sgt. Mueller, you want to help yourself." "The only reason I wanted to say that was so they would understand why I fired a shot," Bellefeuille testified. "[It] was to demonstrate that they could come to help him because I didn't intend to be a threat at this point.... There's no story to fabricate.... It wasn't a charade." Dulude suggested that Bellefeuille ended up putting the magazine he'd used — which was illegally modified to hold 22 rounds instead of the usual five — into a cooler in his hunting room in an effort to hide it. Bellefeuille repeatedly testified he put it there with the rest of his magazines out of habit, because that's where he typically stored them. The trial continues.
CBC
08-05-2025
- CBC
Alain Bellefeuille testifies he suspected intruders before fatal encounter with police
Alain Bellefeuille, accused of murdering an OPP sergeant and attempting to murder two constables during a wellness check gone wrong in 2023, testified Thursday that he woke up that morning to the sound of banging and the shine of a flashlight, and immediately thought there were intruders outside his home. Bellefeuille pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder at the outset of his trial in L'Orignal, Ont., east of Ottawa, in March. It's an admitted fact in this case that Bellefeuille killed Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Sgt. Eric Mueller, critically wounded Const. Marc Lauzon and wounded Const. François Gamache-Asselin when he shot them before dawn on May 11, 2023. Part of what the jury will have to decide, based on Bellefeuille's upcoming testimony and all the other evidence heard at trial, is what he was thinking and what his intentions were when he repeatedly opened fire. Under chief examination in French by defence counsel Biagio Del Greco, Bellefeuille, 41, began his testimony saying he was feeling nervous and anxious to be speaking in front of so many people after his time in custody. He said his father and uncle were hunters, and his father and friends taught him to shoot. He bought the SKS rifle used in the incident for sports shooting at targets on gun ranges and in the woods, and testified weapon wasn't allowed to be used for hunting. By 2023 he'd stopped sports shooting but kept the rifle strictly to protect himself and the house he was renting, he said. He was due to move out of at the end of May that year. It was a big gun, he said — semi-automatic and high-calibre. It can scare people by making a "big enough bang," he said in French, and can do a lot of damage. He bought a linear compensator to help the rifle shoot more accurately at long range. He added after-market rails and a scope with magnification and illuminated crosshairs with adjustable brightness. The scope had no night vision capability. Made magazines illegal in case of emergency He had last loaded the gun more than a year earlier, keeping it at the foot of his bed for quick access. Asked by Del Greco if he knew that was against safe storage rules, Bellefeuille said he took the risk because he lived alone, had few visitors and "the danger was very small that anything would happen." A friend and his partner had been held at gunpoint, tied to chairs and beaten during a home invasion in Kemptville, Ont., in 2007 or 2008, and it made Bellefeuille think it could happen to him, especially in his rural home. His home and vehicle had been robbed in Gatineau, Que., and in North Gower in rural Ottawa, he said. He admitted to modifying magazines to hold more than 20 rounds despite a law restricting capacity to just five rounds. "It was for the ease of having access to bullets if needed," he told court in French. "In an emergency situation I wouldn't have time to reload the gun, so that is why I modified the magazine, to have more capacity. I had more than $10,000 in cash in my house on May 10, 2023." He had bought a motion-activated light for his porch about two or three years before the shooting. In court, he read a Home Depot product listing for a porch light he said looked exactly the same, which could detect motion across 150 degrees and up to nine metres away. The day before the shooting After finishing work at a residence in Orléans on May 10, 2023, Bellefeuille cashed a cheque, went to a hardware store, then went to get gas and 10 to 12 cans of Jack Daniel's whiskey mixed with soda. Court was shown a photo of his kitchen showing two flat boxes of empty cans of the drink. After running errands and talking to people at his new residence about his pending move, Bellefeuille drank with a friend and then at home. He consumed about 10 drinks between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. — a normal amount for him, he testified. He went to bed in his work clothes at about 2 a.m. and fell asleep immediately — also a normal occurrence for him when he drinks and is exhausted, Bellefeuille said. Next came the fatal encounter. Video from Mueller's body-worn camera that was played in court showed Lauzon repeatedly knocking on the back door and window of the house. Bellefeuille told court that the first thing he heard was his dog barking, followed by what he described as more of a "banging" sound than a knocking. He didn't hear voices, but saw what looked like a flashlight. "Immediately I thought it was an intruder who was trying to knock down my back door. It was 2:30 in the morning, nobody announced themselves, nobody warned me or called me," he said in French. He did not look outside.
