Officer urged other officers to 'act with caution' with around man with mental health illness history who ended up killing another cop
A provincial police officer in Quebec raised the issue of the police not having details from the mental health system that could be a matter of public safety.
In the times that police officer Charles Côté asked for basic information about a patient for public security purposes, health workers would not comply with his request, citing confidentiality, according to a report from The Canadian Press published on CTV News.
Côté had this experience when he dealt with 35-year-old Isaac Brouillard Lessard, a man with a history of mental health issues. On March 27, 2023, Brouillard Lessard, using a kitchen knife, stabbed to death 42-year-old Sgt. Maureen Breau.
On Dec. 30, 2022, Côté responded to a 911 call at Brouillard Lessard's apartment when the latter called police after a search for a lost cat turned into an altercation between himself and a neighbour.
That incident ended with apologies and no charges were filed.
However, Côté later learned from a provincial police databank that the province's mental health board is following Brouillard Lessard.
Following this discovery, Côté filed an internal bulletin, urging officers to “act with caution” with Brouillard Lessard.
The police advisory was sent to members of the police force via email. It was still posted on a bulletin board in the officer's briefing room when Lessard killed Breau.
On Monday, during his testimony about Breau’s death, Côté said he learned from one health-care worker that Brouillard Lessard had a history of violence against employees of the health system.
However, other workers who had been assigned to Brouillard Lessard's case refused to speak about him, Côté, according to The Canadian Press report published on CTV News.
"At this point, we're fighting to hold up a system that doesn't work very well, this is the reality in Quebec," Côté said.
“I’m here for Maureen.”
Katana-style sword, knife in Brouillard Lessard’s apartment
Élodie Lévesque, a patrol officer who had visited Brouillard Lessard three days prior to the stabbing, also testified on Monday, according to the report.
Lévesque paid Brouillard Lessard a visit after the man’s parents had called police hoping for him to be hospitalized due to his mental health problems. At that point, Brouillard Lessard, his mother believed, was going through a psychosis, according to a report from The Canadian Press published on CTV News.
Lévesque said while police noted a katana-style sword and another knife in his apartment on their visit prior to the stabbing incident, they did not feel they had any reason to arrest Brouillard Lessard despite his parents' concerns, according to the report.
