Father of slain Lac-Simon police officer 'disgusted' by coroner's report

Michel LeRoux, whose son Thierry LeRoux, 26,was killed while on duty in 2016, says he is "revolted" by the coroner's report on the circumstances of the police officer's death.

The report, released Monday, concluded the rookieofficer who'd been with the Lac-Simonpolice force for just six months at the time of his death,made a series of decisions that did not conform to police trainingacting too quickly and without a plan.

Thierry LeRoux was shot twice in the back at close range after he and a colleague responded to a 911 call about a man threatening to commit suicide at a home in the Algonquin community nearVal-d'Or, Que.,about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

The bullets pierced the officer's bulletproof vest.

Investigators concluded Thierry LeRouxwas killed by 22-year-oldJoseph Anthony Raymond-Papatie, who thenturned the gun on himselfand died.

"My goal hasn't changed. It's to make sure Thierrydidn't die in vain," Michel LeRouxtold CBC's French-language service, Radio-Canada. "But with a report like this, Thierry and all the others gave their lives for absolutely nothing."

• Q&A | Father of slain Lac-Simon officer explains why a new fund for Indigenous youth means so much

The LeRoux family and the officer's colleagues created a foundation in his name last summer to support youth in Lac-Simon.

'Acted with excessive confidence'

The coroner's report found two police officers should have confronted Papatie with their firearms in hand, but LeRouxhad gone on his ownto meet him.

"It's possible Officer ThierryLeRouxacted with excess confidence," CoronerJean-Franois Lcuyersaid in his report

"The officers did not establish roles for each other, nor a game plan. There seems to have been a level of improvisation in the intervention."

Lcuyer also notedwitness accounts said LeRoux"rushed up the stairs to intervene with Mr. Papatie," adding LeRouxdidn't follow police training "to be patient throughout the negotiation."

Report unfairly blames officer, father says

Michel LeRouxsaid he feels the report unfairly lays the blame almost solely on his son.

"It's not with something like that that we're going to prevent other police officers from suffering the same fate as Thierry," he said.

• Quebec mourns death of Lac-Simon police officer

"To say that you probably missed a line or a paragraph, or a chapter, in applying the teachings of thecole nationale de police du Qubec for me, personally, it's disgusting," he said.

Only one recommendation

Lcuyer had one recommendation forthe regional health authority, the CISSSAbitibi-Tmiscamingue,suggesting that it establish a procedure to informpatients with suicidal thoughts about suicide prevention services available to them in the region, in case of psychological distress.

• 'Shortcomings' in procedure contributed to Lac-Simon police officer's shooting death, report says

He said he had no explicit recommendations to add to those put forward in May byQuebec's workplace health and safety board (known by its French acronym,CNESST).

The CNESSTrecommended thatthe Lac-Simonpolice service improve the communications system available to its officers in the field and that itadd new workplace safety measures for its officers.

Since LeRoux'sdeath, four officersinstead of two are dispatched to every incident,from fires andhealth emergencies tofamily disputes.

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Speaking with CBC when the CNESST's report came out in the spring, Michel LeRouxsaid he was satisfied with what it had to say.

"I really believe they're going to make the changes necessary to be sure they improve the training ... to be sure that the young guys coming out of school and going through First Nations communities are well-prepared to face these situations," he said, adding he hoped there would be more funding for police in thosecommunities.