The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) Stands with the Family of Ejaz Choudry, Who Was Shot by Peel Police While Unarmed During a Mental Health Crisis

Written by Canadian Council of Muslim Women

Published in News

Ina lilah waina ilayhi rajioon

Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Allah we shall return

Another day and another racialized individual is shot dead senselessly by the police.

Instead of celebrating Father’s Day with his children, Ejaz Choudry was shot and killed by Peel Regional Police in his home on Sunday, June 21st after his family called a non-emergency line in hopes of helping him get through a schizophrenic episode.

Ejaz Choudry was a 62-year-old immigrant man who did not speak English. He was not taking his medication and was suffering from a mental health crisis. According to his nephew, Khizar Shahzab, Ejaz was also physically frail.

His family wanted help in calming Ejaz down and intended for him to be taken safely to a hospital to help him get through his schizophrenic episode. Instead, three police officers used a ladder to get to Ejaz’s second-floor balcony. They kicked open Ejaz’s backdoor, yelled at Ejaz to put down a knife, and fired five shots at him, killing him.

“(An officer) told me word for word, ‘We will go upstairs peacefully. They went from the back with a ladder. They went upstairs while standing outside on the balcony, they shot him … they shot him in cold blood.”

Khizar Shahzab, nephew of Ejaz Choudry

“He’s [62]. He can barely breathe! What threat was he to them? They shot him five times in cold blood. What kind of justice is that?”

Muhammad Choudry, nephew of Ejaz Choudry.

The family is demanding a public inquiry to know why Peel Regional police officers did not de-escalate the situation instead of opening fire and effectively killing Ejaz Choudry.

“We don’t want an investigation with the police and the (Special Investigations Unit). We want a public inquiry with politicians involved to help bring this to justice. This is cruel and injustice to the limit.”

Hashim Choudry, nephew of Ejaz Choudry

Broader public conversations regarding the role of police in mental health crises, their use of force in these situations, and re-allocating funds to trained and unarmed professionals who can effectively de-escalate persons undergoing mental health distress are crucial and necessary. In the midst of a reckoning with racist police brutality and demands to defund the police, let us not lose a moment to seek justice for Ejaz Choudry.

To Ejaz Choudry and his family: we stand with you.

Canadian Council of Muslim Women

The story of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) begins in 1982 when a group of dynamic and devoted Muslim women from across the country congregated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Led by the late founder of CCMW, Dr. Lila Fahlman, these women sought to mobilize their passion for social justice and faith in order to enrich their communities and work towards the common good of Canadian society.

This inaugural meeting led to the establishment of CCMW, a not-for-profit organization that works to provide equity, equality and empowerment for all Canadian Muslim women. For the past 30 years, its proud and accomplished roster of members have achieved and continue to achieve great milestones for Muslim women and Canada’s multicultural landscape. As a highly diverse organization, CCMW is firmly committed to the overarching vision of improving the status of Muslim women to remain true to their Islamic heritage and Canadian identity.