‘Anguish and anger’: Montreal family wants answers after being caught in middle of police shootout

After they were caught in the crossfire of a bloody shootout involving police earlier this month, a Montreal family says they feel abandoned and angry as they search for answers from authorities.

The Abdallahs revealed new details about what unfolded the night they found themselves in a haze of bullets while returning from a camping trip, including how both father and son were allegedly handcuffed as they bled.

“In the last three weeks, we have lived in a constant state of pain, fear, stress, anguish and anger,” Jana Abdallah, the daughter of the family, told reporters Sunday.

“As a hardworking, law-abiding, regular family and as victims of gun violence, we keep asking ourselves why this happened to us.”

On Aug. 4, the Abdallahs were unloading their car outside their home in the suburb of Dollard-des-Ormeaux when a gun-wielding man demanded their keys. They were suddenly caught in a bloody exchange of gunfire between the suspect and Montreal police.

Houssam Abdallah was shot five times as he tried to shield his children from the hail of bullets. His 18-year-old son Abdel Rahman was shot once.

Jana Abdallah, 22, says when the shootout was finally over, her injured brother and father were both handcuffed. She was physically unscathed, but her hands were covered in blood as she applied pressure to her dad’s gunshot wounds.

“What did we do to have our father and our brother shot and almost killed, and then handcuffed by the police while still bleeding on the ground, while bullets were still inside their bodies?” she said.

“What will happen to us?”

The daughter also alleges police only removed the handcuffs from her father in the ambulance because a paramedic insisted. She says her brother’s hands were restrained until he reached the ER.

“My word for it is just inhuman,” she said.

The family is still searching for answers as to who shot them outside their home: the police or the suspect.

The suspect is accused of being involved in an altercation at a nearby home before he demanded the Abdallahs’ car keys. Nackeal Hickey, 26, was arrested and faces multiple attempted murder charges for shots fired at police.

Quebec’s independent police watchdog has taken over the case. The BEI investigates when a person or an officer dies or is seriously injured during a police intervention or while in custody.

Quebec provincial police have also launched a separate, parallel investigation.

Both Montreal police and provincial police declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. The BEI could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Fo Niemi, executive director of the Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), a civil rights advocacy group, says the family is concerned about “transparency, access to information and eventually access to the facts, if not the truth.”

Niemi says they want to know if the ballistics report can pinpoint who shot the father and son, why handcuffs were used and if “the suspect and the victims’ race (were) a factor in the way the latter were treated by the police.”

The police ethics commissioner and the province’s human rights commission should also investigate, according to CRAAR.

‘I’m worried about my kids’

Houssam Abdallah remains in intensive care for multiple surgeries and has faced several complications, including blood clots in his leg and lungs.

Abdel Rahman, the son, was able to go home after a few days. His injuries have made it hard for him to walk.

The shooting has left the family traumatized. The youngest child, a nine-year-old boy, has nightmares of losing his brother and dad.

“He’s scared at night to walk around in the house alone,” Jana Abdallah said.

The family’s daughter has put her studies at Concordia University on hold to take care of her mother and siblings. They have been struggling to handle mounting bills, responding to investigators and dealing with the hospital.

“I’m worried about them,” said Sirin El Jundi, the mother of the family. “I’m worried about my kids.”

The family is still waiting to hear if they are eligible for financial help from IVAC, the province’s office that handles crime victim compensation.

When they reached out to Quebec’s crime victims assistance centre, CAVAC, to see what kind of financial aid they could get, Jana Abdallah claims her mother was told to ask the community for aid. CAVAC’s website says it offers assistance services, but not compensation.

“It made her feel as if she was a beggar, you know? We’re not,” Jana Abdallah said.

In the meantime, a family friend created an online fundraiser to help them cover rent and basic necessities. Concordia has also provided support, according to CRAAR.

Niemi says crime victims like the Abdallahs must be helped in a humane and adequate fashion by the province.

“This kind of silly bureaucracy that people are experiencing the secondary effects of trauma and of victimization. And that’s not normal,” Niemi said.

“Crime victims’ compensation programs are supposed to help and alleviate, not to compound the problem and make things worse for families and the victims.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

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