Man (48) Dies in Saint John Police Custody After Intoxication Arrest (Dec. 14, 2023)

A 48-year-old man died in Saint John Police Force (New Brunswick) custody on December 14, 2023. It is reported that officers detained a 48-year-old man for allegedly being intoxicated in public. They took the man to a detention facility, where later he was allegedly found “unresponsive in his cell.” Police have not said publicly how long he was in the cell before he died. Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the death.

Intoxication arrests are often fatal in Canada and the practice should be ended.

Man Dies in Codiac Regional RCMP Custody (Nov. 20, 2022)

A man died in Codiac Regional RCMP Custody on November 20, 2022. The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) is investigating.

It is reported that on November 19, at approximately 11 PM, Codiac Regional RCMP officers responded to a call on Evergreen Drive in Moncton regarding a disturbance. On arrival, police encountered a man who was subsequently detained without incident and taken into custody.

Approximately four hours later, the man was found to be in medical distress, and was transported to hospital in critical condition. He would later die.

Man (22) Killed in Police Chase Near Drummond, NB (April 18, 2022)

A 22-year-old man was killed and another 22-year-old man injured in a police chase in northwestern New Brunswick on April 18, 2022.

It is reported that members of the Grand Falls police force attempted to stop a vehicle along the province’s Route 108. Minutes later the pursued vehicle crashed into a ditch near the community of Drummond, which is about five kilometers outside of Grand Falls.

Numerous people have been killed in Police chases in Canada. This is the third person killed in a police chase in a matter of days.

New Brunswick RCMP Shoot and Kill Man (Dec. 31, 2021)

New Brunswick RCMP shot and killed a man in the early morning of December 31, 2021. It is reported that two members of the RCMP Hampton Detachment responded to a call at a Kingston, NB, residence at 3:47 AM.

Police met a man who was allegedly the subject of the complaint and both officers fired their guns. The man was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Nova Scotia Serious Incident Response Team is investigating the killing.

Constable Jeremy Son Identified as Cop Who Killed Chantel Moore

The Edmundston, New Brunswick, police officer who shot and killed Chantel Moore in 2020 has been identified as Constable Jeremy Son in documents obtained by CBC News. Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman from Tlaoquiaht First Nation, was shot multiple times and killed in the early morning of June 4 during a police “wellness check.” Moore suffered three shots to the back and two to the chest, and her leg was broken. Constable Son was removed from active duty for three weeks before he was put back on the job in an administrative role.

An investigation into the killing has been carried out by Quebec’s police oversight agency, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), but the results have not been released publicly. The BEI is not an independent body and relies on police forces to carry out their investigations.

Chantel Moore’s family has called for a public inquiry into systemic racism in policing in Canada. Despite calls from numerous Indigenous leaders, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs refused to hold a public inquiry into systemic racism in the province’s justice system.

RCMP Shoot and Kill Rodney Levi, a Mi’kmaq Man, Metepenagiag First Nation (June 12, 2020)

People in the community report that New Brunswick RCMP have shot and killed Rodney Levi, a Mi’kmaq man, in Metepenagiag First Nation (also known as Red Bank First Nation) on June 12, 2020. There are few details reported publicly at this time. This is the second killing of an Indigenous person in New Brunswick in eight days, following the Edmunston police killings of Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman of Tlaoquiaht First Nation on June 4.

Edmundston Police Kill Chantel Moore, 26-Year-Old Indigenous Woman, During “Wellness Check” (June 4, 2020)

Edmundston Police (New Brunswick) shot and killed Chantel Moore, a 26-year-old Indigenous woman of Tlaoquiaht First Nation, near Tofino, so-called British Columbia, during a so-called wellness check early in the morning of June 4, 2020. The family has reported that the victim was shot five times by police. Edmundston Police Force Inspector Steve Robinson told reporters that he did not believe that the officer in question attempted to use any non-lethal force. Chantel Moore was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chantel Moore’s grandmother, Nora Martin, is certain the killing is racist in nature. In her words: “When I first heard about it, that was my first thought: ‘This was racially motivated.’ We’ve been dealing with police brutality for a number of years. I know in my own family it’s been going on for a long time” (quoted in CTV News 2020).

The history of policing in Canada is one of racism and white supremacy at its core. Policing has played a central part in the dispossession, displacement, subjugation, control, killing, and genocide of Indigenous people and communities—has been central to the interlinking settler colonial capitalist projects. And policing continues to play a key part in maintaining those projects up to the present.

This is yet another, too common, case of police being the first sent out when people are believed to be in crisis or in need of a “wellness check.” Police should not be sent under these circumstances. They are not health care providers. Too often the outcome is police killing the person needing support or care. Police are not about wellness. Resources for health care, including mental health care, should be diverted away from police and used in community health care supports. Police budgets continue to grow as necessary health care services require more funding.

Police will be investigating police in this killing. Officers from Saint John will be part of the investigation as well as an as yet unnamed “independent agency” (which will in no way be independent given the involvement of police in the investigation).

 

Further Reading

CTV News. 2020. “’This Was Racially Motivated,’ Says Grandmother of Tofino Woman Shot and Killed by NB Police.” CTV News June 4. https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/this-was-racially-motivated-says-grandmother-of-tofino-woman-shot-and-killed-by-n-b-police-1.4969770

RCMP Shoot and Kill 24-Year-Old Man in Moncton, New Brunswick (Aug. 4, 2019)

An RCMP officer shot and killed a 24-year-old man at a residence on Somerset Street in Moncton, New Brunswick on Sunday, August 4, 2019. Police apparently tased the man before shooting and killing him. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), THE Nova Scotia based agency that examines cases pf police harm to civilians in that province as well as, on request, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, two of its officers and two Halifax police officers will examine the circumstances of the killing. It is obviously, given the direct participation of police officers, in no way an independent investigative agency.

Secrecy Surrounds “Tragic Incident” Involving Police that Leaves One Dead at Hospital in St. John, NB

Neither police nor Horizon Health representatives are speaking publicly about a “tragic incident” that left a patient dead at the Saint John Regional Hospital sometime over the weekend of January 26-28, 2018. The “tragic incident” was aid to have happened on Saturday but the exact time of death has not been disclosed, nor has the cause of death. For their part, Saint John police have only described the death as “more of a hospital matter than police” which says virtually nothing. The Coroner Services said they had been notified of the death and started an investigation but they refuse comment as well.

Police-Involved Deaths in Canada in 2017: What Little We Know

There is no formal, systematic process for documenting and recording the deaths of civilians through encounters with police in Canada. There is no systematic reporting publicly of civilian deaths through police encounters. A baseline or minimum number of people who died through police encounters can be arrived at by review of oversight agency reports, coroners inquest reports, and close following of media articles. Here is some of the very limited information of what we know about 65 reported deaths. Much more needs to be known and should be made public.

 

1. Amleset Haile. Female. 60. January 2. Toronto, Ontario. Toronto Police Service. Self-inflicted. (Black woman).
2. Jimmy Cloutier. Male. 38. January 6. Montreal, Quebec. Montreal Police. Shot.
3. Ralph Stevens. Male. 27. January 7. Stoney Nakoda First Nation, Alberta. RCMP. Shot. (Indigenous man).
4. Nadia Racine. Female. 34. January 25. Gatineau, Quebec. Gatineau Police. In-custody.
5. Male. 20. February 11. Goodfare, Alberta. RCMP. In-custody.
6. Male. No Age Given. February 12. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnipeg Police Service. In-custody.
7. Moses Amik Beaver. Male. 56. February 13. Thunder Bay, Ontario. Thunder Bay Police. In-custody. (Indigenous Man).
8. Female. 20. March 6. Burlington, Ontario. Halton Regional Police Service.
9. Male. 28. March 6. Montreal, Quebec. Montreal Police. Heart attack.
10. Vitaly Savin. Male. 55. March 9. Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Police Service. Shot.
11. Male. 20. March 18. Pond Inlet. Nunavut. RCMP. Shot.
12. Male. March 24. 61. Chateauguay, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec.
13. Male. 40. April 1. Kelowna, British Columbia. RCMP. In-custody.
14. Male. 24. April 28. Puvirnituq, Quebec. Kativik Regional Police Force. In-custody.
15. Male. 39. May 2. Hall Beach. Nunavut. RCMP. Shot.
16. Male. 32. May 13. Fort McMurray, Alberta. RCMP. In-custody.
17. Male. 41. May 15. Beauceville, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec. Shot.
18. Male. 26. May 22. Cambridge, Ontario.
19. Female. No Age Given. May 27. Oak Bay, British Columbia. Victoria Police.
20. Male. 43. June 3. Smith Falls, Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police. Self-inflicted.
21. Male. 31. June 3. Ottawa, Ontario. Ottawa Police Service. Shot.
22. Male. No Age Given. June 18. Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. RCMP. Shot
23. Austin Eaglechief. Male. 22. June 19. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Saskatoon Police. Shot.
24. Pierre Coriolan. Male. 58. June 27. Montreal, Quebec. Montreal Police. Shot. (Black man).
25. Male. No Age Given. July 3. Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Police Service. Vehicle chase.
26. Male. No Age Given. July 5. Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan. RCMP. Self-inflicted.
27. Male. No Age Given. July 9. Quebec City, Quebec. Quebec City Police. Shot.
28. Dale Culvner. Male. 35. July 18. Prince George, British Columbia. RCMP. In-custody.
29. Marlon “Roland” Jerry McKay. Male. 50. July 19. Thunder Bay, Ontario. Thunder Bay Police. In-custody. (Indigenous man).
30. Shawn Davis. Male. 52. July 26. Chatham, Ontario. Chatham Police. “Sudden Death.”
31. Male. 66. July 30. Pointe-Calumet, Quebec. Vehicle chase.
32. Male. 25. August 10. Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec. Shot.
33. Female. 55. August 7. Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Police Service. In-custody.
34. Male. 23. August 20. La Sarre, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec. Shot.
35. Male. No Age Given. August 13. Winnipeg, Manitoba. In-custody.
36. Ozama Shaw. Male. 15. July 27. Mississauga, Ontario. Peel Region Police. Shot. (Black youth).
37. Male. 48. September 4. Sudbury, Ontario. Sudbury Police. In-custody.
38. Female. 26. September 4. Windsor, Ontario. Windsor Police Service. In-custody.
39. Unnamed Male. 26. September 6. Whitefish Lake First Nation, Alberta. RCMP. Shot.
40. Female. 46. September 9. Indian Head, Saskatchewan. RCMP. In-custody.
41. Male. 29. September 9. Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Police Service. Shot.
42. Adrian Lacquette. 23. September 13. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnipeg Police Service. Shot.
43. Male. 34. September 15. Windsor, Ontario. Windsor Police Service. In-custody.
44. Male. 33. September 23. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnipeg Police Service. Shot.
45. Sheila Walsh. Female. 65. September 25. Arnprior, Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police. Vehicle chase.
46. Female. No Age Given. October 2. Quesnel, British Columbia. RCMP. In-custody.
47. Nathan Wehlre. Male. 15. October 6. Highway 6, Ontario. Waterloo Regional Police. Vehicle chase.
48. Taryn Hewitt. Female. 16. October 6. Highway 6, Ontario. Waterloo Regional Police. Vehicle chase.
49. Cody Severight. Male. 23. October 10. Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnipeg Police Service. Hit and run, officer DUI.
50. Male. 35. October 12. Qualicum Beach, British Columbia. RCMP. Shot.
51. Cavin Poucette. Male. 26. October 19. Gleichen, Alberta. RCMP. Shot. (Indigenous man).
52. Brydon Bryce Whitstone. Male. 22. October 22. North Battleford, Saskatchewan. (Indigenous man).
53. Tom Ryan. Male. 70. October 27. Cobourg, Ontario. Cobourg Police Service. Shot.
54. Male. 44. October 31. Brampton, Ontario. Peel Regional Police. During arrest.
55. Male. 23. November 8. Montreal, Quebec. Montreal Police. In-custody.
56. Bill Saunders. Male. 18. November 15. Lake Manitoba First Nation, Manitoba. Shot.
57. Male. 57. November 26. Toronto, Ontario. Toronto Police Service. In-custody.
58. David Tshitoya Kalubi. Male. 23. November 24. Montreal, Quebec. Montreal Police. In-custody. (Black youth).
59. Male. 52. December 6. Douglas, Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police. Shot.
60. Male. 25. December 13. Maple, Ontario. Toronto Police Service. Shot.
61. Babak Saidi. Male. 43. December 23. Morrisburg, Ontario. Ontario Provincial Police. Shot.
62. Male. December 24. Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton Police Service. In-custody.
63. Male. 22. December 28. Umiujaq, Quebec. Shot.
64. Male. 36. December 28. Danford Lake, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec. Shot
65. Male. No Age Given. December 30. Mississauga, Ontario. Peel Regional Police. Shot.