'He did not deserve this,' says friend of Erixon Kabera after SIU clears officers who killed him

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.

Two officers who shot and killed Kabera on Nov. 9 won't be criminally charged, the police watchdog said June 6.

"On my assessment of the evidence, there are no reasonable grounds to believe that either subject official committed a criminal offence in connection with the complainant's death," said SIU director Joseph Martino in the report. 

That result is not what the family wanted, said his best friend, Andy Ganza. 

"[The family is] angry. They're disappointed, they're sad," Ganza told CBC Hamilton. "He did not deserve this at all."

A rally for Kabera is taking place on June 19 at Hamilton City Hall, starting at 6 p.m. Ganza will be there, among others who knew him.

After reading the report thoroughly, Ganza said he was "shocked" and "disappointed" at the SIU's summary of events and its conclusion. He has a hard time understanding why or how Kabera had a replica hangun, as the SIU reported, and he questions what he sees as a lack of deescalation efforts and the "excessive" shots fired by police. 

"None of us were there and [the SIU] were not there either, but we knew Erixon, so we have that on our side."

The report was published the same day as Kabera's oldest of three children was graduating from high school, Ganza said, and the family had asked the SIU to wait until after to release the report.

They had a "huge party" planned to celebrate the teen's achievement, with family visiting from abroad. The celebrations went well, he said, but it was a bittersweet moment.

"It felt like a slap in the face," said Ganza.

An SIU spokesperson told CBC Hamilton the family had asked to hold the release of the report until June 4, which is why they decided to post the report two days later.

"While transparency and timely communication are core to the SIU's mandate, we also recognize the human impact of our work. When appropriate, and without compromising the integrity of the investigation, we do our best to show sensitivity during what are often very painful and emotional times for those involved," the spokesperson said.

Kabera's death sparked outrage in Hamilton and beyond, including in the Rwandan community in Canada, of which Kabera was part. Family and friends have been demanding answers since he was killed.