52-Year-Old Man Dies after Arrest in Kingston, Ontario (July 23, 2019)

A 52-year-old man has died after being arrested at a Harvey’s restaurant in Kingston, Ontario on Tuesday, July 23, 2019. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in Ontario, is examining the death. According to the SIU, Kingston police responded to a call at around 1:30 PM regarding a man allegedly “behaving erratically” at the Harvey’s restaurant at Princess and Regent streets. When officers arrived, police claim they found the man in the restroom and took him into custody. The man was later taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No details have been released publicly about what “behaving erratically” meant, why police rather than health care experts were sent to the scene, or why the police arrested the man. No details have been provided either about what happened between the man being taken into custody and his later being transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police control all of this information and its means of release (or not).

Peterborough Police Shoot and Kill Billy Shea (27) with OPP Present (July 23, 2019)

Officers of the Peterborough Police Service and the Peterborough County OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) were involved in the shooting and killing of 27-year-old Billy Shea on July 23, 2019. The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in Ontario, reports that the shooting occurred during a standoff.

The SIU reports that around 8:30 PM, police began to follow a vehicle on Highway 115 believed to have been used in alleged robberies. They claim that the police pursuit ended with the Mustang colliding with another vehicle in the area of The Parkway and Sir Sandford Fleming Drive in Peterborough. Peterborough Police Service and Peterborough County OPP officers then allegedly became involved in an armed standoff with occupants in the vehicle they had been pursuing.

The SIU says that at around 9:40 PM one officer discharged his firearm and struck the individual, later identified as Billy Shea, killing him. The victim was transported to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to the SIU, six investigators and three forensic investigators have been assigned to the case. At the time of posting, one subject officer from the Peterborough Police Service has been designated. In addition, five officers with Peterborough County OPP and seven officers with the Peterborough Police Service have been designated as witness officers.

Person Dies in RCMP Custody in Prince George, British Columbia (July 20, 2019)

A person has died after being detained by RCMP in Prince George, British Columbia. According to the Independent Investigations Office (IIO), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in the province, the RCMP detained the victim at 11:24 PM on Friday, July 19 and they were found to be in distress at about 4:25 AM on Saturday morning. They were taken to hospital by paramedics and, according to the hospital, died at 6:46 AM that day.

No other details have been released publicly at this time.

Victim of Winnipeg Police Identified as Randy Cochrane of Fisher River Cree Nation (July 14, 2019)

The family of a man who died during an arrest by Winnipeg police has identified him as Randy Cochrane, a 30-year-old father of three. Family members are calling for answers into what happened during the arrest and why there appear to be discrepancies in what police reported and what doctors in the hospital emergency have said.

Randy Cochrane’s cousin Monica Murdock asks pointedly:

“My family’s devastated. We want to know what happened to him. Why did he die in cuffs? Why were they chasing him? Why are they saying he was bloody but the doctors we went and saw at the emergency room last night said that he had no injuries? (quoted in Grabish 2019)

Murdock reports that doctors at the Health Sciences Centre told her family on Sunday, after Cochrane died, that the young man had suffered a heart attack and had a high fever. She also reports that they told her there were no other injuries on his body. She says that doctors informed her that it was too late by the time Cochrane arrived at the hospital at 4:30 PM because he had been without a pulse for some time (Grabish 2019).

Murdock describes her cousin as “a fierce protector of his family” and she says “he was more like a brother to her” (2019). She relates fondly: “He always made sure we were protected. We were safe. The last time I saw him he came to my house and he gave me some money for my baby ‘cause my daughter’s in the hospital” (quoted in Grabish 2019).

Marjorie Cochrane raised Randy after adopting him. She remembers:

“He was really always close to his daughters. It’s hard. Taking it hard” (quoted in Grabish 2019).

She too has important questions for police: “What happened when they handcuffed him?” (quoted in Grabish 2019).

A witness, Will Couture, says Cochrane, rather than being a threat, appeared to be shouting for help while running from something or someone (2019). Couture reports that the man, kept repeating “help me, help me” (Grabish 2019). He then saw police chase Cochrane across the street.

Couture claims that the man looked “freaked out.” In his words: “Just scared. Just like terrified of something you know what I mean? It was like the devil was chasing him” (quoted in Grabish 2019).

If it was the police, he may be completely right in that.

 

Further Reading

Grabish, Austin. 2019. “Family Demands Answers after Father of 3 Dies in Police Custody.” CBC News July 15. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/police-custody-death-north-end-winnipeg-1.5212209

Thirty-Year-Old Man Dies During Arrest by Winnipeg Police (July 14, 2019)

According to the Independent Investigations Unit of Manitoba, the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in the province, the arrest occurred in the city’s North End, around Flora Avenue and Parr Street. Police allegedly saw a man they believed to be bleeding and armed with a weapon and chased him on foot, catching him not far away. During the arrest the man became unresponsive. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. It has not been conformed publicly that the man was bleeding prior to the arrest.

Two Die Following Police Pursuit Near Ottawa (July 7, 2019)

Two people, a 36-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman have been killed in a six-car crash following a police pursuit on July 7, 2019 on Highway 417 near Ottawa. Officers of the Ottawa Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) had initiated pursuit of a vehicle driven by the 36-year-old victim.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU, the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in Ontario) reports that the crash incident was initiated with a call from a man reporting that his daughter had been abused by a family friend at a Kanata hotel. This means the identity of the alleged suspect was known and under Ontario rules a police pursuit should not have been undertaken (where a suspect’s identity is known).

The SIU has designated one Ottawa police officer as the subject of its investigation, and also identified three other “witness officers,” two of whom are OPP officers. The agency assigned three investigators, two forensic specialists, and a collision reconstruction expert to its investigation team.

According to Ottawa defence lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, the main job for the SIU is to determine why the pursuit was launched given the identity of the suspect was known to police. While rules govern when a suspect should be pursued, Greenspon notes that too often those regulations are not followed. He outlines the too regular script followed by police:

“Every time there’s a crash like this it’s the same story: ‘We started the pursuit and it was stopped before the fatal collision took place.’ The big question here that needs to be answered is: Why were they chasing him in the first place? If they knew his identity, why start chasing him?” (quoted in Duffy, Yogaretnam, Gillis, and Miller 2019).

In Ottawa, the police service’s policy “requires that officers only engage in a pursuit if they believe a crime has been committed and if there’s no alternative for apprehending a suspect who poses a threat to public safety” (Duffy, Yogaretnam, Gillis, and Miller 2019).

 

Further Reading

Duffy, Andrew, Shaamini Yogaretnam, Megan Gillis, and Jacquie Miller. 2019. “Updated — Highway 417 Crash: Vehicle Pursuit Stemmed from Sexual Assault Investigation.” Ottawa Citizen July 9. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/multi-vehicle-crash-closes-westbound-highway-417-at-panmure-road

Robin Fiddler of Waterhen Lake First Nation Identified as Woman Killed by Calgary Police (June 26, 2019)

Family members have identified 34-year-old Robin Fiddler of Waterhen Lake First Nation, in northern Saskatchewan, as the woman shot and killed by a Calgary police officer on June 26, 2019. She was shot twice by the killer cop. Fiddler was a trades worker in construction.

Fiddler’s family is demanding justice. They question the quick violence of the Calgary police. Mario Fiddler, the victim’s cousin, says:

“We believe Robin didn’t deserve to die — we want to see justice. We believe the Calgary police officer could’ve taken different steps dealing with Robin (and that) a Taser could’ve been used instead of shooting our cousin. My cousin isn’t the type of person to be an aggressor.” (quoted in Laing 2019).

Another cousin, Angela Fiddler, has reflected on Robin Fiddler’s determination and humor. In her words:

“She always tried to get through whatever systemic barriers that she faced — she always tried to make a way. She was just a blessing to us. It was her smile, she was always so funny and she always wanted to make people laugh.
“When we were both younger, I just took her under my wing and that was that. She would come live with me when she had the opportunity. I’ve always had an open door for her. Robin was a beautiful soul, she deserved to live.”

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld has said that the officer who killed Fiddler was wearing a police-issued, body-worn camera at the time of the killing. No video has been released publicly. Robin Fiddler’s killing is at least the third police-involved death in Calgary in 2019.

The family reports that they are returning Robin Fiddler’s body to Saskatchewan so that the family can lay her to rest and start a traditional healing journey (Laing 2019).

 

Further Reading

Laing, Zach. 2019. “Calls for Justice from Family of Woman Shot Dead by Calgary Police Officer. Calgary Sun June 30. https://calgarysun.com/news/crime/calls-for-justice-from-family-of-woman-shot-dead-by-calgary-police-officer

Man (43) Dies after Arrest by Edmonton Police (June28/July1, 2019)

A 43-year-old man died on July 1, 2019, after being arrested by Edmonton Police Service officers on June 28. According to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in the province, reports that officers allegedly went to 100 Avenue and 114 Street at around 10:30 PM on June 28 in response to a complaint about a man starting small fires in the area. Police encountered a man and arrested him in a violent takedown.

According to ASIRT, police only determined the man was in medical distress after he was carried to a police van. He was then removed from the van and an ambulance called. The man was taken to hospital, where he died on the evening of July 1.

The arrest was recorded and a portion of the video posted to social media.

Man Dies in Fall During Interaction with Vancouver Police (July 13, 2019)

The Independent Investigations Office of British Columbia, the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians in the province, is investigating a police-involved death during an incident in Vancouver on July 13, 2019. According to the IIO, Vancouver Police report that officers responded to a report of a person throwing property from the upper floor of a residential building on Bidwell Street in Vancouver. A man fell from an upper floor to the ground shortly after officers entered the building. He did not survive the fall.

Improperly Parked Police Vehicle Rolls Over, Kills Assault Victim (Salluit, Nunavut, July 5, 2019)

A 58-year-old assault victim who had been badly beaten was killed when an improperly parked vehicle of the Kativik Regional Police Force rolled over him. The death occurred in Salluit, Nunavut, on the evening of July 5, 2019. Allegedly responding to a call about a brawl, police moved to make an arrest rather than ensuring their vehicle was securely parked. The man was pronounced dead at a local health center.

The Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (Bureau of Independent Investigations, BEI), the agency that examines cases of police harm to civilians, has dispatched eight investigators to look into the killing. The BEI is not truly an independent agency as it relies on police to carry out investigations. A collision expert with the Quebec provincial police force, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), will be involved in this investigation.

Salluit, located near the Hudson Strait, has a population of around 1600 people.