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Police authorities in the Canadian state of Ontario have requested a publication ban on behalf of officers involved in the murder of Pakistani-Canadian national Ejaz Choudry, a father of four with schizophrenia who was shot and killed by police in 2020.

Peel County Police say releasing the identities of the five officers would put them and their families at risk, according to Drita News.

Officers were involved in the 62-year-old’s murder in June 2020 after his family called a non-emergency line while he was in crisis.

Officers are concerned for their safety and mental health, as well as their family members,” the officer’s attorney said in a notice to the Ontario Supreme Court in May.

An officer involved in the shooting reportedly said he was afraid to go out in public with his family amid “threats and intimidation on social media and at protests”, according to a court filing.

Responding to the police petition, family members of the victim said the move was simply an attempt to hide from the public.

Despite neglecting my father’s safety and well-being in the midst of a mental health crisis, these officers are asking the court to respect them and put them first,” said Choudry’s daughter, Nemrah. Ahmad.

“It’s just an excuse to hide their names from the public,” Ahmad said. “There must be transparency and accountability.”

The motion is to be heard next April. The family’s attorneys, Simon Bieber and Chris Grisdale, declined to comment.

The motion comes as the Choudry family braces for a lengthy court battle after their hopes of a criminal prosecution were dashed when the Ontario police superintendent refused to press charges against the officers involved.

Case

The Choudry family claims in the petition that they called Peel paramedics around 5:30 p.m. on June 20, 2020 because they were concerned he was not taking his schizophrenia medication. Choudry looked confused, they said. It was not the first time they had seen this happen and previous incidents had been dealt with “uneventfully”.

But instead of receiving medical attention, Choudry died that day.

Choudry’s daughter told the operator that she had a small pocket knife on her, but that it was not dangerous. Paramedics contacted the police for help, who told the Choudrys to leave the house.

When the police arrived, they asked in English to see Choudry’s knife, a request that his daughter had to translate. Choudry then pulled a kitchen knife 20 centimeters from under the mat he was sitting on and ordered the police to leave.

According to the lawsuit, Choudry said he “did not leave his house because he was afraid the police would shoot him.” Later, when a Punjabi-speaking officer arrived, Choudry told him he had no intention of harming himself, according to the family’s civil suit.

However, instead of waiting for the mobile crisis unit, officers gathered at Choudry’s doorstep and on his balcony with the intention of arresting him under the Mental Health Act. Choudry stopped responding to police around 8 p.m., after which police forced their way into the house and yelled at him in English, according to the lawsuit.

Within 11 seconds of breaking into Choudry’s door, police electrocuted him, fired three rubber bullets at him and put two bullets in his chest, killing him.