Family of teen shot by police will learn officers' names under court deal
A Quebec Superior Court judge approved an agreement allowing the family access to information, but a publication ban prevents its public release.
Explainer
A Quebec Superior Court judge has approved a deal allowing the family of a 15-year-old boy shot and killed by police to learn the identities of the officers involved.
"The identities of the two police officers directly involved in the intervention are among the details that will be disclosed to the family and other applicants," wrote Yalda Machouf Khadir, a lawyer representing the family.
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The information, which also includes police procedures and coroner's files, is covered by a strict publication ban.
Nooran Rezayi was shot dead by police in September 2025 after officers responded to a 911 call about a group of allegedly armed young people in a residential neighbourhood in Longueuil, Que., a city on Montreal's South Shore.
Surveillance video released by the family's lawyers appeared to show Rezayi was shot within seconds of police arriving at the scene.
Quebec's police watchdog later said the only firearm seized at the scene belonged to the officer who shot Rezayi.
What does the court agreement allow?
The agreement, approved Thursday, will see information turned over to Rezayi's family and a handful of others under the condition that it remain confidential.
"We've managed to reach agreements which allow us and our clients to have access to a certain amount of information to move the case forward, but there are restrictions on the publication and dissemination of the information," Machouf Khadir told Radio-Canada.
Only the families and their legal teams will learn the names, which will then be protected by a strict publication ban.
The City of Longueuil confirmed it had agreed to release the names, under conditions that include a confidentiality order.
"The judge therefore ordered the release of an initial set of documents covered by the plaintiffs' request, including the identities of the police officers," a city spokesperson wrote Friday in an email.
Why did the city oppose releasing the names publicly?
The City of Longueuil opposed releasing the names publicly, arguing in legal filings that after the shooting, Longueuil police were the target of several death threats on social media.
The city also said a few days after the shooting, a teenager posted a picture of an officer he suspected had shot Rezayi on Instagram, and offered a $2,000 reward in return for the officer's killing.
That officer and his family were placed under protection and moved to a secure location.
The teenager was eventually arrested and convicted of harassment.
What are the ongoing investigations?
Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), completed its investigation into the shooting in March and submitted its report to Quebec prosecutors, who must determine whether criminal charges should be laid.
The results of that investigation have not been made public.
If prosecutors decide to lay charges in relation to the incident, the names of the officers involved would then become public.
Quebec's domestic security department has also launched an investigation into the officers' actions, after the watchdog said officers waited one hour and 36 minutes before notifying the agency of Rezayi's death.
The watchdog's director has also said it was inappropriate that Longueuil officers continued questioning witnesses at the scene, according to correspondence released by Longueuil's mayor last year.
What other legal proceedings are underway?
The family is suing the City of Longueuil and its police force, alleging the officers used unreasonable and disproportionate force.
The allegations have not been tested in court.
Montreal police conducted a separate criminal investigation into the alleged events preceding Rezayi's death.
Eleven young people were charged in June, but prosecutors stayed the proceedings in August after obtaining new evidence that raised what they described as a complex legal issue.
None of the charges involved possession of a firearm or harm to another person.
Machouf Khadir said the family would continue to try to get more answers.
"The process has been very opaque so far," she said.
With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CBC News