‘They destroyed my life’: Family of Montreal man who died in police intervention demands public coroner’s inquiry

Josue Cruz (left), Joel DeBellefeuille (center), and Marcelina Isidro (right) are demanding a public coroner's inquest into the death of Abisay Cruz during a police intervention. (CTV)

The family of a Montreal man who died during a police intervention is demanding a public coroner’s inquest into the death.

Police were called while Abisay Cruz was in crisis in the Saint-Michel neighbourhood on March 30 when officers turned violent and used excessive force on the 29-year-old, his family said.

Quebec’s independent police watchdog (BEI) is investigating the death, but Cruz’s family and the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) said there is little trust. They want a fully public and transparent report.

Marcelina Isidro, Cruz’s mother, witnessed the intervention. She broke down crying as she told journalists she didn’t know what to do and never expected to lose her son.

“I want justice for my son because my son would not be dead if they had been more careful. If they would have called an ambulance. But instead, they kept torturing him. He was not okay. He was in a crisis,” she said in Spanish.

She said officers forced Cruz to the ground by the neck and kept him pinned with a knee to the back of the neck as shards of broken glass pierced his chin. She said officers ignored her pleas to stop.

“I went inside and sat down. My son looked dead. His eyes were opened but they didn’t move,” she said.

“The police are supposed to protect, not destroy people. They destroyed my life because I no longer have a life.”

Witness videos

Videos taken by family members and other witnesses show four officers repeatedly throwing Cruz to the ground of a second-floor balcony with his hands handcuffed behind his back before breaking the door down. One officer was seen with his knee on Cruz’s upper back.

Cruz’s legs were later bound with plastic wrap, according to witnesses.

Other videos shared by CRARR at a news conference showed blood on the floor, and executive director Fo Niemi pointed out Cruz was heard saying “I’m going to die.”

When an ambulance arrived, Niemi said officers insisted on dragging Cruz downstairs themselves. A video showed paramedics pumping at Cruz’s chest, trying to resuscitate him.

Josue Cruz said the family is still waiting for an autopsy report to bury his brother and confirm the cause of death nearly a month later.

“My brother was a good person, he always wanted to make people around him laugh. He loved his son. It’s very sad, and even sadder that justice hasn’t given us any results,” he told journalists.

“Why was he treated like an animal even when the ambulance arrived? … We cannot wait until the BEI’s investigation because we don’t know if we can trust it. My brother will never rest in peace and we, his family, can never live in peace until we get answers.”

The family said they are speaking out in the hopes it never happens again.

Tense relationship with police

Joel DeBellefeuille, founder of the Red Coalition, said the problem is systemic.

He said police officers have protocols to follow when dealing with someone in distress or in crisis to de-escalate the situation.

Officers have also been asked to use restraint when putting their knee on someone’s back, said DeBellefeuille, drawing parallels with the case of George Floyd in 2020.

“Did he really have to receive this treatment?” he said. “Was it racially motivated? We don’t know, we have to find out. The way he was treated, one can see and hear from video … a witness said ‘they beat the hell out of him.’”

• READ MORE: Montrealers take to streets after two men killed during police operations

CTV News reached out to Montreal police for comment but did not hear back at time of publication.

Josue said racialized residents of Saint-Michel no longer trust the police.

There have been protests and vigils held by the community in Cruz’s memory that ended in police using tear gas and arrests.

The family stressed they did not organize the protests and is asking people to call their elected officials to demand a public coroner’s inquest instead of taking to the streets, fearing the family’s wishes will be overshadowed.