MONTREAL — A coroner’s inquiry is hearing today from a psychiatrist who treated a Quebec man with a history of mental illness who killed a provincial police officer.

Isaac Brouillard Lessard fatally stabbed Sgt. Maureen Breau and seriously wounded her partner on March 27 while they tried to arrest him for uttering threats and violating probation.

Brouillard Lessard was shot dead by police moments later in his apartment building in Louiseville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal. 

The inquiry has heard that police visited him three days before the attack, after his parents expressed concern about his deteriorating mental state.

Dr. Marc Tannous, who supervised Brouillard Lessard for a few years before the attack, testified today about an instance in November 2021 when the man’s mother called him concerned her son was having a psychotic relapse.

Tannous says he spoke to him by phone and determined the man was not an imminent threat — but days later Brouillard Lessard assaulted the concierge of his apartment building and broke his jaw.

Coroner Géhane Kamel raised concerns that for a second day in a row, the inquiry has heard that Brouillard Lessard’s parents had raised concerns that weren’t heeded by authorities. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 13, 2024.

The Canadian Press