Officer who killed Quebec teen who was holding weapon says he feared for safety

SHERBROOKE, Que. — The provincial police officer who shot and killed a Quebec teenager who was holding an air pistol says the young man posed a clear danger to officers.

Joël Desruisseaux told a coroner’s inquest today investigating the death of Riley Fairholm that a fellow officer repeatedly asked the teen to put down the weapon, adding that there was no sign the situation would de-escalate.

The interaction between Fairholm, 17, and officers in the early morning of July 25, 2018, lasted a little over one minute before Desruisseaux shot the teenager in the head in the parking lot of an abandoned restaurant in Lac-Brome, Que., about an hour southeast of Montreal.

The inquiry has heard that police did not know Fairholm left a suicide note with his parents shortly before calling 911 on himself.