Attempted murder of a Sûreté du Québec police officer: “I didn’t want to die that day”

The trial for attempted murder of a policewoman by a Beauce man opened Tuesday with the testimony of the alleged victim. Emotional, the patrolwoman remembered “that she did not want to die that day”.

Catherine Giroux had to hold back her tears a few times on Tuesday when looking back on the day of August 18, 2021.

According to the account of the events that she gave to the jury who will have to decide the fate of the accused, the events took place on the sidelines of an interception under the Highway Safety Code, around 8:50 a.m. that morning.

After detecting a vehicle traveling at 134 km/h on Highway 73, the Sûreté du Québec police officer parks her car behind that of the suspect on the shoulder. She then entered the plate number into the on-board computer of her patrol car, but when she looked up to see the last digit, she explained that she saw the occupant “next to his car suitcase , with a long weapon in his hands.

“As soon as I saw that he raised the weapon to shoulder, I was very scared, and the only reflex I had was to want to step back. I put my left hand on the steering wheel at midday, I put the car in reverse and I leaned to the left,” said the policewoman.

Hand injury

That’s when the first shot, described as “a big bang,” rang out.

The victim was hit by this blow to the hand, then when he got up and saw the hole in his windshield, a second blow would have come.

“As soon as he saw me move again, he raised the weapon a second time. And I leaned to the left again. I didn’t want to die that day,” she said with emotion.

Catherine Giroux escaped with injuries to her hand, shoulder and face. She explains having had a severed tendon in her index finger, in addition to having had a “hole” in her middle finger. She claims to have also partially lost her sight for 10 days due to shards in her eyes.

The agent was nevertheless able to notify her colleagues herself on the airwaves after having escaped death.

“I said, ‘Quick! Come help me, I just got shot!” I gave the description, the plate number.”

Convinced “100%”

For the police officer, it is clear that the man who shot her that day is indeed the same as the one who stood behind her in the dock on Tuesday.

The defense lawyer, Mr.^e Samuel Cozak, however, insisted in cross-examination that she could not have seen if anyone else was in the car at the time. He also stressed that the distinctive features cited by the police officer, such as the accused’s bald head or his corpulence, were rather general.

“I confirm 100% that it is the same person,” insisted Agent Giroux.

Marco Rodrigue, 57, was arrested in the hours following the shooting, the Crown prosecutor in the case, Ms.^e Annik Harbour.

Three weeks of trial

In addition to policewoman Giroux, a civilian witness, who explained that she had seen a man with what appeared to be a long weapon on the side of the highway, also testified on Tuesday.

The trial of Marco Rodrigue, originally from Saint-Zacharie, will continue on Wednesday. The proceeding is scheduled to last three weeks before Superior Court Judge Louis Dionne.