Family still searching for answers year after brother killed at OPP detachment

A year after a man was shot dead by an OPP officer in Morrisburg, Ont., his family is still searching for answers.

Babak Saidi, 43, was killed at theMorrisburg OPP detachment on Dec. 23, 2017 while he was reporting for his required weekly check in after a 2014 conviction for assault and battery.

• Family demands answers after fatal shooting at Morrisburg, Ont., OPP detachment

"I feel like there's a dark, black blanket over everything, where we don't know what's going on, what's being done," Elly Saidi, Babak's older sister, told Radio-Canada.

She said the family has been stuck in limbo and is searching for answers that they haven't yet received.

"That creates a lot of anguish and pain," she said.

Family demands more transparency, training

Babak'syounger sister Hoda Pari Poushdescribed her brother as a "very gentle soul with a very kind heart" who had his good and bad days.

She said he had mental health problems and was known to the police, but she questions how the situation could have escalated so quickly.

Pari Poush said the incident likely could have been avoided if officers were better trained on how to deal with people with mental health issues.

The last yearhas also been very difficult on their father who witnessed his son being killed.

Saidi said he has been suffering from PTSD and is questioning what he could have done to help him.

She said she's made access to information requests about the case, but was rebuffedbecause authorities claim the case is still under investigation.

She feels frustrated bywhat she sees as the lack of transparency and the lack of accountability from authorities.

The OPP said it would not comment on the file to CBC News, citing the ongoing investigation, and the Special Investigations Unit did not respond to questions and requests for interviews.

"This tragic experience has created this hollowness within the depths of our souls," said Saidi.