Sister pleads for answers after brother dies in Montreal police shooting

Michelle Kay said she still doesn't know what happened in the few fleeting minutes between a 911 call last month and her brother'sdeath.

"It was so quick," said Kay, sitting in her late brother's apartment on Nuns' Island in Montreal Wednesday afternoon. "How could that be possible? Was there any talking?"

Her family is still chasing those answers, hoping authorities will soon provide more information about the police shooting.

"All of a sudden he is gone. We are losing someone who had so much to offer," said Kay.

She said two officers with Quebec's police watchdog, the Bureau des enqutes indpendantes (BEI), spoke to the Kay family briefly at the hospital on the day of the shooting, Sept. 17. They offered their condolences to the family.

The SPVM has not contacted them, she said.

"A simple call, or a letter, telling us, yes, there happened an incident where your brother, your son got killed, it's being investigated but for the moment, we are sorry for the loss of your brother or son," she said, would have helped the family in their grief.

Her brother was Ronny Kay, a 38-year-old man who was born and raised in Montreal. He was active in the local Chinese community, and volunteered in the community at large, Michelle Kay said.

In the initial BEI report, a 911 caller said a man was walking around with what appeared to be a handgun.

The Service de Police de la Ville de Montral (SPVM) officer who responded to the call at around 12:30 p.m.shot the man after he pointed what looked like a handgun in the direction of the officer, the report said.

WATCH | Michelle Kay talks about her late brother:

Sister of man shot by Montreal police tells CBC she wants answers

2 years ago

Duration 8:10

Michelle Kay sat down with CBC Montreal's Debra Arbec to open up about the incident that ended with her brother's death, and what the Kay family hopes comes next.

The man died soon after he was rushed to hospital, the BEI said.

Guy Lapointe, spokesperson for BEI, later said the man was carrying an imitation gun. The BEI's media team could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

According to his obituary, Ronny Kay is survived by his parents, three sisters and two brothers-in-law. He also leaves behind two nieces, a nephew, his dog, extended family, friends and co-workers.

Brother was planning for future, sister says

Michelle Kay said her brother did not appear suicidal. He had just moved into his new place on Nuns' Island recently and was still unpacking.

He was making plans for the future, and when she went to visit his residence a few days afterthe shooting, she found a bagel ready to eat, still on a plate, she said.

She said the family believes that whenRonny Kay heard that someone had called the police to his home, it may have triggered astate of mental crisis.He was a man who had a deep fear of police after an incident 10 years ago, she said.

A small family altercation led to a police response, she said, and the responding officers were rough on him. She said she witnessed the incident.

"The force used by those policemen was too much," she said. "The other time, he got traumatized. This time, he lost his life."

A mother in tears

Now her family is grievingand struggling to make sense of what happened, Michelle Kay said.

"Even yesterday, I heard my mom cry," she said. "I know that my mom is the most impacted."

The Kayfamily announced two weeks ago that they are calling for a public inquiry into Ronny'sdeath.

"They are asking for a public inquiry. Not just a coroner's inquiry, but a public inquiry so they can have answers to their questions," said the family's lawyer, Virginie Dufresne-Lemire.

The concern, she explained, is how the police intervene when a person is in a state of mental crisis.

But while the family waits for those answers, a process that will likely drag on for many more months, Michelle Kay is trying to organize her brother's belongings while looking back on the past.

She said Ronny Kay was the type of guy who was always learning new things.

And he had little ways of looking out for people, like bringing healthy snacks to gatherings, that was touching, she said.

"He learned a lot about geography, politics, news. He travelled a lot. He had so much to offer in terms of knowledge," Michelle Kay said.

"He is a person you would learn something from for sure."