MONTREAL – In the 15 years he’s lived near Henri Bourassa Park, Gerardo Escobar says he never noticed any taxing, prostitution, street gangs or armed robberies, despite authorities’ claims that such crimes were rampant.
In fact, Aug. 9, 2008 -when unarmed teen Fredy Villanueva was fatally shot by police -was the first time there’d been any trouble, the Montreal North resident said.
Testifying yesterday at the coroner’s inquest into the shooting, Escobar said he had been in the park playing soccer when Montreal police Constable Jean-Loup Lapointe jumped out of his cruiser with his partner and threw Fredy’s older brother, Dany Villanueva, against the hood of the car.
“When the police pushed his face against the trunk, Dany pulled himself up,” Escobar said. “It’s a normal reaction. He was reacting against what the police were doing.”

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