{
  "id": 19644595,
  "title": "Coroner’s inquest set to begin for Jamal Francique, shot in head by police",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/coroners-inquest-set-to-begin-for-jamal-francique-shot-in-head-by-19644595",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:43:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/11/12/coroners-inquest-jamal-francique-toronto/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A coroner's inquest is set to begin today to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Jamal Francique, who was shot in the head by police nearly seven years ago. Francique passed away in the hospital on January 9, 2020, two days after the incident in Mississauga. He was 28 years old at the time of his death.\n\nAbout a year after Francique's death, Ontario's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), cleared the Peel regional police officers involved of any wrongdoing. The SIU determined that the officer who fired the fatal shot reported fearing for his life when Francique drove at him. However, the SIU also identified some questionable aspects of the officer's behavior, such as his decision to position himself near a fleeing driver.\n\nThe SIU stated that police were investigating Francique for drug dealing and firearm possession at the time of his arrest, but they could not confirm these allegations. Consequently, they initially arrested Francique for allegedly breaching bail conditions. Plainclothes officers in unmarked cars waited for Francique to get into his car outside his home, and once he started driving around 5:45 p.m., an officer managed to block him in the driveway. Subsequently, another unmarked car came up behind to try to hem him in, and other officers arrived, pointing their guns at Francique.\n\nFrancique then sped up toward a grassy area, striking a car while an officer jumped out of the way. He then struck another officer on foot, who fired his gun four times as Francique drove toward him. Francique's car eventually stopped after hitting a home. The SIU concluded that the officers did not approach the car until more than two hours later when tactical officers arrived, fearing that Francique might have been armed. It was later discovered that one of the officers carried a gun in his satchel.\n\nFrancique's family expressed their disagreement with the SIU's findings, and their lawyer argued that the case highlighted the SIU's failure to serve the province's diverse communities. They subsequently filed a negligence lawsuit against the SIU, police, and local paramedics regarding Francique's death. The coroner's inquest is anticipated to last 11 days and will hear from nine witnesses. In coroner's inquests, jurors do not assign blame or legal liability but may propose recommendations to help prevent similar incidents in the future.",
  "summary": "A coroner’s inquest is set to begin today to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of a man who was shot in the head by police west of Toronto nearly seven years ago. Jamal Francique died in hospital on Jan. 9, 2020, two days after police shot him during a botched arrest in Mississauga. He […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Coroner's inquest begins for Jamal Francique's death.",
    "SIU cleared officers of wrongdoing, found questionable behavior.",
    "Inquest to last 11 days with nine witnesses."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The upcoming inquest provides a formal mechanism to examine police conduct and potentially establish systemic recommendations to prevent similar fatal encounters between officers and members of diverse communities.",
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/19644595.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Coroner’s inquest set to begin for Jamal Francique, shot in head by police",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/coroners-inquest-set-to-begin-for-jamal-francique-shot-in-head-by",
        "published": "2026-11-12T09:00:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}