Erixon Kabera

Erixon "Gentil" Kabera (1981–2024) was a black Canadian man who died after being shot by police.

On 10 November 2024, Erixon Kabera, a former public servant at the Canada Revenue Agency,[1] father of three and community organiser, died after an encounter with the Hamilton Police Service. Mr Kabera was shot multiple times by police in his apartment building in Hamilton. He died of his wounds.

Erixon was born in Rwanda in 1981 and emigrated to Canada. He settled in Hamilton, Ontario. He was a member of The Rwandan-Canadian Healing Centre (RCHC)[2]

A CBC News article describes how his death has shocked the community. His death was also reported in the Rwandan media.[3]

After Erixon's death, marches were organised demanding justice and police accountability. Marches began in Hamilton after the shooting and developed in cities throughout Canada:

  • in Hamilton, ON on 14 Nov
  • in Montreal, QC on 24 Nov
  • in Ottawa, ON on 14 Dec
  • in Regina, SK on 4 Jan

A march for Erixon was organised and attended by Matthew Green, NDP MP for Hamilton, in Hamilton on 14 November.

The Special Investigations Unit (Ontario) (SIU), the civilian law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over police officers in Ontario, invoked its mandate to investigate this case. The SIU made an inaccurate statement on 9 November:[4] "There was an exchange of gunfire, resulting in both the man and an officer suffering gunshot wounds."

This statement was later replaced by another statement:[5] "Based on information that has come to light in the course of the investigation, it does not appear that the man discharged a firearm. A police officer was taken to hospital as well but has been released from hospital after receiving treatment for minor injuries."

As a result, Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen released another statement on 13 November,[6] which contradicts the statement of 9 November by the SIU.

The family of Erixon released a statement:[7] "... we stand firm in our belief that Erixon was not armed, nor would he act in a way that would justify this result."

On June 6 2025, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report of the case was released[8]. The report cleared the two Hamilton police officers (one male and one female) who shot and killed Erixon. The news of the release was reported in the media[9][10][11].

The report stated that : "The complainant was holding what appeared to be a handgun in his right hand at waist level, pointed at the floor,". As well as "The object in the complainant's possession was not an actual firearm, although it did give the appearance of being a genuine semi-automatic pistol."[8]

References

  1. ^ "Community, family set to hold vigil for man fatally shot by Hamilton police | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  2. ^ "Erixon Kabera :: Rwandan Canadian Healing Centre". rchc.ca. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
  3. ^ Ufitiwabo, Aurore Teta (2024-11-11). "Canada: Family demands justice after Rwandan man fatally shot by Police". The New Times. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  4. ^ "Special Investigations Unit -- News Release". www.siu.on.ca. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  5. ^ "Special Investigations Unit -- News Release". www.siu.on.ca. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  6. ^ "Statement from Chief Frank Bergen". Statement from Chief Frank Bergen. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  7. ^ Coleman, Joey (2024-11-11). "Statement from the Family of Erixon Kabera". TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  8. ^ a b Martino, Joseph (28 May 2025). "SIU Director's Report - Case # 24-OFD-479".
  9. ^ Ufitiwabo, Aurore Teta (9 June 2025). "Family of Rwandan killed by Canadian police officers left disappointed after suspects are cleared".
  10. ^ "SIU clears Hamilton police of wrongdoing in death of Erixon Kabera". 6 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Hamilton police officers who shot and killed Erixon Kabera cleared by SIU". 7 June 2025.
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