Quebec’s chief coroner has accepted a request by the province’s public security minister to hold public inquests into the killing of a provincial police officer and a fire in Old Montreal that left seven people dead.
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said Tuesday he hoped the public hearings would lead to recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future and provide answers to Quebecers about the two high-profile fatal cases.
Provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau was stabbed to death March 27 while attempting to make an arrest in Louiseville, Que. The man accused of killing her—who was shot dead by police—had a history of mental health issues and had been found not criminally responsible at least five times for past offences….