Lac-Simon police officer fatally shoots man

A police investigation in the Algonquin community of Lac-Simon in Abitibi-Tmiscaminguehas been handed over to the the Montreal police department after aman was fatally shot Wednesday eveningbya member of the local aboriginal police force.

On Thursday, a Montreal police spokesman told CBC investigators wereheading to the town, which is about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal, totakeover the investigation.

At first, the Sret du Qubec had sent a dozen officers to lend a hand to the localforce.The SQ asked members of the press to stay away from the village while they investigate.

UnderQuebec law,any incident involvinga police officer in which a firearm is discharged must be investigated by a different police force.

Tensions between police and the community have been high since Feb. 13, when a white police officer working with the local force,ThierryLeroux, was shot and killed while responding to adomestic dispute call.

The member of the community who shot Leroux then committed suicide.

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