3 charged, including Peel police shooting victim, after police facilities allegedly defaced

Peel police say they have charged three people for allegedly defacing police facilities during two separate protests earlier this month.

In a news release on Wednesday, police said a30-year-old man from Mississauga,a 50-year-old man from Brampton, and a 34-year-old woman from Mississauga were each charged with one count of mischief over $5,000.

Names of the accused were not provided in the release.

All three were charged in connection witha Dec. 11 protest outside 11 Division at 3030 Erin Mills Parkway.

The womanwas also charged with a second count of mischief over $5,000 for allegedly defacing a police memorial monument duringa Dec. 19 protest outside Peel police headquarters at 7150 Mississauga Road.

All are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on March 5, 2021.

In a statement on Wednesday,Knia Singh J.D., a lawyer, said two of three charged areChantelle Krupka and Derek Francique.

Krupka isa Mississauga woman whowas shot in the hip by a Peel police officer on May 9after the police taseredher and her partner. Francique isthe father of Jamal Francique, 28, who was shotby a Peel police officer on Jan. 7 and who died in hospital on Jan.9.

Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) investigatedthe police shooting of Krupka and charged Valerie Briffa, the now former officer who discharged her firearm in the incident,withcriminal negligence causing bodily harm,assault with a weaponandcareless use of afirearm. Briffa has resigned from the force.

The SIU is continuing to investigate the police shooting of Francique. The SIU has said police were in the area to make an arrest and he was a person of interest in a vehicle.

Police have discretion to lay charges, lawyer says

Singh said the handling of the protests is a "missed opportunity" by Peel police to improve community and police relations.

"Police have discretion to lay charges, an alternate resolution could have been achieved in this situation," the statementreads.

"If victimsand community members cannot express their anger and frustration with the amount of people shot and killed by Peel Police, and the lack of accountability from the SIUand other government agencies, it will be a serious threat to the fundamental right to protest and is a limitation on the freedom of expression of community members."

The statementargues that the decision to chargea Peel police shooting victim and a family memberof another Peel police shooting victim contradicts "earlier progress" made by the police and Peel police board this year on race relations.

Peel police signed a memorandum of understanding with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario this year to develop legally binding remedies to eliminate racial discrimination, it added.

In itsnews release on Wednesday, Peel police said theywere aware that the Dec. 11 protest was going to take place. The release also claims theymade plans to create space for protesters to gather.

"During the demonstration, several attendees threw a paint-like substance, defacing the facility and surrounding exterior grounds, resulting in a mischief to property," police said in the release.