WARNING: This story comprises graphic particulars of a violent occasion.
A paramedic’s account of arriving at a deadly capturing that he assumed was protected when in truth the shooter remained on scene might be cross-examined this week within the trial of a man who killed a police officer and wounded two others throughout a wellness verify in Bourget, Ont.
It isn’t in dispute that Alain Bellefeuille killed OPP Sgt. Eric Mueller and wounded constables Marc Lauzon and François Gamache-Asselin earlier than daybreak on Could 11, 2023.
In query is whether or not he knew he was capturing at police and whether or not he was performing in self-defence when he repeatedly opened fireplace on them.
Bellefeuille is on trial in Superior Courtroom in L’Orignal for first-degree homicide and two counts of tried homicide, and has pleaded not responsible. He is anticipated to testify in his personal defence after the Crown closes its case.
Mueller parked exterior Bellefeuille’s residence, simply earlier than he will get out to talk with Lauzon.
Mueller parked exterior Bellefeuille’s residence, simply earlier than he will get out to talk with Lauzon. (Ontario Superior Courtroom of Justice/OPP)
One of many first 4 paramedics to reach at Bellefeuille’s home — Christian Larochelle, who was accompanied that evening by Stéphane Huppé, Yan Bellefeuille and Jean-François Fillion — testified on Friday about strolling as much as the home, considering the scene had been made protected.
As an alternative, Larochelle discovered Bellefeuille standing on the deck together with his arms up. Mueller was bleeding out within the mudroom with Bellefeuille’s loaded lengthy gun positioned throughout his chest. Lauzon was on his knees on the garden, and Gamache-Asselin was hiding within the woods, thinking someone was trying to follow and kill him, the trial earlier heard.
Lauzon did not reply Larochelle’s questions on whether or not the scene was protected. His eyes had been open however his arm was torn open. Larochelle then approached the deck.
‘He broke into my home’
Extra video from Mueller’s body-worn camera was performed in courtroom. It was lined by one thing, however Bellefeuille is heard saying, “A police officer is down. A police officer’s down proper right here. He is respiration. A police officer is down proper right here inside, are available in, are available in. He is inside the home, he is respiration nonetheless. He is nonetheless respiration.”
“Are you alone right here?” Larochelle asks Bellefeuille.
“I’m alone.”
“Is there one other officer?”
“He broke into my home. He got here in, that is it. He is nonetheless respiration,” Bellefeuille says.
“Do not transfer, do not transfer. Is there anybody else in the home? I would like you to step again, please. Please step again.”
Larochelle testified that Mueller had misplaced a extreme quantity of blood, and that he knew the outlook for him wasn’t good. He additionally knew he and the opposite paramedics weren’t protected, however “at that time, it was too late.”
They loaded Mueller into an ambulance, and as Larochelle was about to start out driving, his associate shouted that Mueller’s coronary heart had stopped. They began CPR and continued with it for the 40-minute drive to The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic campus trauma centre. However not lengthy after they arrived, Mueller was pronounced lifeless.
Nonetheless extra video from Mueller’s digicam confirmed it being thrown onto the garden.
A courtroom sketch of Alain Bellefeuille drawn on March 26, 2025.
A courtroom sketch of Alain Bellefeuille drawn on March 26, 2025. (Lauren Foster-MacLeod)
Trial resumed final week after pause
The trial resumed April 22 after being adjourned for per week.
Final week, OPP Const. Justin Boyd testified about heading to Bellefeuille’s home in Bourget after listening to over the radio that pictures had been fired at officers, and concerning the function he performed in looking out the realm and transporting Bellefeuille to an OPP detachment and Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital.
When Boyd arrived, it was unclear the place Lauzon and Gamache-Asselin had been.
Mueller was within the care of paramedics, and unknown to Boyd and different officers on the scene, so was Lauzon.
Confused, ‘chaotic’ scene
As Boyd and others began to speak about the way to discover them, the scenario turned “fairly chaotic,” Boyd testified. The officers ultimately lined up shoulder to shoulder and pushed into the woods to look earlier than deciding the terrain was too tough for a harm individual to cover in.
As they got here again out, Boyd discovered Mueller’s body-worn digicam mendacity within the grass, nonetheless recording.
A video clip from the digicam was performed in courtroom of Boyd discovering it, by which a gunshot can be heard.
Const. Ionut Mihuta — who had arrested Bellefeuille — is heard asking, “You fired your gun?”
“Misfire! Misfire, misfire,” says Boyd, talking for his colleague Const. Pierre Dubois, who had by chance fired his lengthy gun into the bottom as soon as in sight of Boyd.
“Examine that manner,” Mihuta says. “Go in a straight line! Shooter prepared, OK? Security off. Watch your capturing, OK? Watch your fingers,” Mihuta says earlier than the clip ends.
This aerial view of Bellefeuille’s residence with 4 OPP autos out entrance was filed as an exhibit throughout the trial.
This aerial view of Bellefeuille’s residence, exhibiting 4 OPP autos parked out entrance after the deadly capturing, was filed as an exhibit throughout the trial. (Ontario Superior Courtroom of Justice/OPP)
Bellefeuille repeatedly punched by arresting officer
Extra officers flooded the scene, and Lauzon and Gamache-Asselin had been discovered, Boyd mentioned. He was then requested to assist take Bellefeuille to the Rockland OPP detachment.
In a cell, paramedics checked Bellefeuille for accidents and took a very long time inspecting a contusion on his head. Courtroom heard on April 14 that Mihuta had violated police protocol by repeatedly punching Bellefeuille whereas Bellefeuille was mendacity on the bottom being arrested and saying he did not know he had shot a cop.
Audio of the dramatic trade was captured on Mihuta’s body-worn digicam.
Mihuta screamed at Bellefeuille: “I obtained this shotgun at your f–king head! Simply f–king do one thing so I can f–king shoot you, you piece of s–t!”
Requested about punching Bellefeuille in cross-examination, Mihuta testified that his feelings obtained the perfect of him, and that he did not imply his menace to shoot Bellefeuille.
“I knew that Sergeant Mueller might not dwell. I knew at that time that inside the subsequent couple hours, a spouse will get the worst information of her life, that her husband will not be coming again residence. Two youngsters might be orphans and not using a dad,” he testified.
“We do not shoot individuals in our jobs. We don’t. It isn’t, I would not shoot anybody that’s unarmed or one thing like that.”
Emotional experience to hospital
Paramedics ultimately determined to take Bellefeuille to hospital for examination and therapy.
Throughout cross-examination of Boyd, defence lawyer Leonardo Russomanno performed video footage from Boyd’s body-worn digicam depicting about 20 minutes of the ambulance experience to Montfort Hospital. It reveals Bellefeuille from behind as he is sitting up hunched ahead on a gurney in solely his underwear (his clothes had been eliminated by paramedics), with his palms cuffed behind his again. A paramedic tries asking questions, however no discernable responses are heard.
Bellefeuille seems to cry a number of instances, his shoulders arising and down, and sometimes the paramedic locations a hand on his shoulder.
Justice Robert Pelletier instructed the jury to solely think about Bellefeuille’s bodily and emotional state within the video, which may grow to be related in Pelletier’s closing directions for the jury earlier than deliberations.
The Crown’s subsequent witness was OPP forensic identification officer Brittany Falls, who helped doc and catalogue the scene and the proof discovered. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the jury was proven photographs of the mudroom with the blood-soaked flooring the place Mueller was discovered.
Additionally proven was Bellefeuille’s bed room wall with 9 bullet holes in it (he fired at Mueller and Lauzon from contained in the bed room), a field of ammunition in his closet, his front room window with bullet holes in it, two OPP cruisers exterior with bullet holes in them, spent casings from Bellefeuille’s lengthy gun inside and outdoors the home, and three spent casings from an OPP handgun in the home.
Lauzon’s sidearm was discovered to be lacking three rounds, Falls testified.
The trial continues Tuesday with cross-examination of the paramedic who testified Friday.
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