Who hit police officer Sanjay Vig? Who opened fire and in what context? The jury will not hear Ali Ngarukiye’s version of his alleged attempted murder of the Montreal police officer. The 24-year-old chose not to present a defense on Monday as the Crown wrapped up its case after a three-month marathon.
Published at 1:40 p.m.
Judge François Dadour therefore announced to the jury on Monday that the proceedings would take place next Monday, with a view to the start of deliberations next Thursday, December 7th. It should be noted that a defendant is not required to testify. It is up to the Crown to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In this case, Ali Ngarukiye is accused of planning several days in advance to attack Montreal City Police Service officer Sanjay Vig on Crémazie Boulevard in Montreal on January 28, 2021. According to the Crown’s evidence, Ali Ngarukiye hit the police officer behind the head with a metal rod before attempting to kill him.
“These were fatal blows. […] At that moment I really felt like I was about to die. But I’m in survival mode,” Officer Vig testified in court. The veteran police officer thought he would die that day. According to him, his attacker then managed to disarm him. A bullet from his pistol was found in a residential building not far from the crime scene.
However, at this point, Agent Vig believes that his attacker is Mamadi Camara, a motorist he just intercepted while driving with his cell phone. At trial, Vig Mamadi described Camara as a “very, very, very angry” man with a “tense” neck and “fire in his eyes.”
Photo submitted as evidence
Items were found near the crime scene, including a cap and a metal rod, believed to be the murder weapon.
The affair then sparked a scandal: Mamadi Camara was arrested and charged with this crime before she was eventually acquitted. The Crown submitted articles to several media outlets on Monday on this topic. However, Judge François Dadour urged the jury to be cautious as these articles only provided evidence of “media coverage of the Camara affair”.
During the trial, Mamadi Camara said she saw the police officer and his attacker “fighting.” He then called 911. He denied being as aggressive in his surveillance as the officer had claimed. Mamadi Camara returned to testify during the trial and eventually admitted to using his cell phone minutes before the interception.
In all cases, Ali Ngarukiye’s DNA was found in multiple locations at the crime scene, including in a vehicle.