The Sûreté du Québec confirmed Wednesday that it has found Philippe Benoît, the father suspected of killing his 16-year-old son in Shawinigan, ending a manhunt that began Sunday.
Police arrested Benoît around 4:30 p.m., near Lac Veillette, in Shawinigan, said Sergeant Audrey-Ann Bilodeau of the SQ.
“It is thanks to information received from the public that our quad police officers who are members of the emergency response service were quickly deployed in the area,” she explained.
The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions had issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday against Philippe Benoît for the first-degree murder of his son.
When police arrived, Benoît was “conscious and breathing,” Bilodeau said. Officers had to “use force” to subdue the 41-year-old man, as he was resisting arrest, she said.
Phlippe Benoît, who suffers from a mental health disorder, was taken care of by a team of paramedics and will be transported to a hospital in the region.
“The priority is that he receives care appropriate to his condition,” said Sergeant Bilodeau.
Investigators will meet with the suspect when “his state of health allows,” Bilodeau said, suggesting that Benoît was not able to understand the charge against him.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
