By Michael Boriero
A public coroner’s inquest into the death of 17-year-old Lac-Brome resident Riley Fairholm, who was shot and killed during a police intervention on July 25, 2018, began on Monday at the Sherbrooke Courthouse.
Fairholm was dealing with a mental health crisis at the time. He was carrying an air gun, walking down the street near his home in Lac-Brome, when he was confronted by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers. The encounter lasted 60 seconds, and Fairholm lost his life.
The inquest, presided by Coroner Gehane Kamel and assisted by prosecutors Julie Roberge and Dave Klimpton, will look into the circumstances behind Fairholm’s death. The hearings will run until June 23, and provide testimonies from witnesses, family, experts and police officers.
Laurie-Ann Lefebvre from Quebec’s police watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), was the first person to speak on Monday followed by Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) technician Valerie Myre, who went over the details of the intervention.
Tracy Wing, Fairholm’s mother, answered questions and spoke for nearly two hours. She discussed her son’s joyful character, sharing he was often referred to as a class clown, and his passion for sports, which led him to join the rugby team at Massey-Vanier High School.
However, Wing noted he had suffered from concussions his entire life, including one that came during the rugby season, which kept him out of soccer in the summer of 2018. It was an emotional testimony, as Wing described her son’s demeanour leading up to his death.
She said he had been struggling in school for years, math, in particular, became an issue. But he wasn’t someone who liked to discuss his feelings, even with his own family. Wing added that some days he would open up a bit about his mental health, but mostly he kept quiet.
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