‘The system let him down’: Superstore knife incident results in probation

By Nigel Maxwell

CONTENT WARNING: The following story has details regarding suicide.

The man at the centre of a disturbance last July at Prince Albert’s Superstore won’t serve any additional jail time and those closest to him said the incident was the result of a failed system for those with mental health issues.

Harry Montgrand, 34, received nine months probation after entering a guilty plea on Monday to a charge of possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public.

According to information provided by police at the time of the incident, an initial weapons complaint indicated a man was inside the store on July. 15 brandishing a large knife and threatening staff. Montgrand dropped the knife when officers Tasered him.

Agreeing to meet in person with paNOW on Tuesday, Montgrand shared his side of the story and explained how he was admitted to hospital the night prior for a mental health crisis. While at home alone, Montgrand said he heard voices in his head. As the voices grew louder, Montgrand said the voices told him the only way to make it stop was to harm himself. He elected instead to seek help.

“You are told to call 9-1-1 or seek help if you are feeling suicidal, so I called 9-1-1,” he explained.

After spending a number of hours in a police cell, Montgrand was admitted to hospital and released the following morning. He explained there was no psychiatrist waiting for him. He left on foot, hoping the walk would clear his head.

The voices and suicidal thoughts soon returned, he said. That’s when Montgrand went to Superstore and obtained a knife. By then the voices in his head had grown to full-blown shouting, he said.

“It would be like if there were a dozen people in here, six on each side, just constantly shouting. So I thought it’s never gonna end,” he said.

The incident at Superstore took place in the early evening and was observed by a number of people who were entering the store or had just finished paying for their groceries.

With respect to the public’s concern about him having a large knife in a public place, Montgrand insisted he never had any thoughts about hurting anyone else.

“It’s not who I am. It’s just a mental illness that I’m struggling with,” he said. He noted he was not on drugs at the time of the incident and said once officers Tasered him, the voices abruptly stopped.

A diagnosed schizophrenic at the age of 18, Montgrand explained he has been living with the voices for as long as he can remember, had been living on the streets since his early teen years, and chose a life of solitude as a means to keep his mental illness under control.

“I never talked about it because kids that are like that got singled out, they got pushed to the back of the line so to speak and I didn’t want to be pushed to the back of the line,” he said.

Montgrand’s probation conditions include not attending Superstore, not possessing a knife unless for eating or work, and keeping the peace.

While grateful to see the court process come to an end, and the added emotional stress that came with it, Montgrand confirmed he is focused on doing better, has been learning coping mechanisms and is once again taking medication. He hopes to form a support group for others in his position in the future.

Local supports

With no family support, Montgrand has been living at Homeward Bound for the better part of three years. The program provides help for at-risk individuals by placing them into supportive housing. Manager Rob Dunlop described Montgrand as a model citizen, who is always willing to help other clients, whether it be shovelling snow or just doing other chores.

“He reached out for help himself and in a lot of ways the system let him down,” Dunlop said. “A number of the pieces of the puzzle that should have been there to support him weren’t there.”

When asked to elaborate, Dunlop noted pressures on the emergency room and police to deal with those managing mental health issues, as well as staffing issues with Homeward Bound itself.

“Because these resources aren’t available, things like what we saw happen to Harry, happened,” Dunlop said.

During one previous court appearance, the court heard Homeward Bound made a prior request for a mental health warrant to assist Mongrand, to no avail.

As of now, Montgrand is being supported by Homeward Bound.

paNOW made a request to the Sask. Health Authority for comment, but as of the publishing deadline had not yet received a response.