The Independent Investigation Unit (IIU) of Manitoba is investigating the death of James Wood, a 35-year-old Indigenous man, after his arrest by Winnipeg police in a parking lot on Fairlane Avenue, between Freemont Bay and Buchanan Boulevard. Witnesses have since come forward to report beatings by police and to say that they believe the victim was treated the way he was by police because he was Indigenous.
It is reported that a woman called police just after midnight saying her boyfriend was intoxicated and she was worried for the safety of her toddler and two infants who were inside their apartment suite. Police were sent to the unit at 12:09 AM.
The woman who called reportedly went to another suite in the building and made a call seven minutes later to say her boyfriend had fallen down the stairs and was lying in the snow at the base of the stairs. Another caller reported that the man had walked into the parking lot but had fallen on the ground.
Police arrived at 12:23 AM and reportedly found Mr. Wood lying in the parking lot. They handcuffed him and started to bring him to a police car, when they claim he “became unresponsive.”
He was taken to the hospital, where he died.
None of the police claims have been confirmed independently. In fact, numerous witnesses refute police claims and told CBC News that police beat the victim until he stopped moving. Multiple witness videos of the incident provided to media show the moments before and during police engagement with Mr. Wood and confirm acts of police violence.
A neighbor, Pete, who observed Mr. Wood’s actions before police arrived as well as the police interactions from his ground-level window, and called 911, says he saw him fall and never get up again. He told a 911 operator that it appeared the man had passed out and was not moving anymore. He says he told the operator it looked like the man was passed out and needed help.
Surveillance video from the scene reflects Pete’s account, showing Mr. Wood appearing to call for help, saying that he loves his children and shouting “come on” several times.
Pete says that police set upon Mr. Wood with force, quickly and needlessly escalating the situation. In his words,
“They just kept beating him. They just kept beating him, they wouldn’t stop. He actually at one point reached out his hand, and he says, ‘please stop, please stop.’ He tried to protect himself, he never once reacted … in offence to try and get them off of him. Everything he did with his arms and stuff like that, he was protecting himself.”
Pete says the man’s girlfriend also yelled at police to stop and the man was “still” by the time the police had him handcuffed.
Another witness, Kristina Bauer, also describes police setting upon the man quickly and beating him. She says that when officers approached him he was “kind of half asleep at the same time.” She says that when officers tried to pick him up, he slipped because he was not fully awake and was wearing no shoes.
Bauer reports that officers told the man to stop resisting but “he wasn’t resisting, he literally just fell.” She says that as soon as he hit the ground police went on his back and then beatings started. She says that one officer took out a baton and started “smashing him with it. They just kept beating him and beating him and beating him until he didn’t move anymore.”
A video from the scene shows at least one officer kneeling down on Mr. Wood. Another officer is seen putting pressure on his legs and taking out a baton then striking him in the legs multiple times. At that point the man stops moving and more officers move on him.
Bauer and another witness, Mason Kabestra, say that it appeared to them that officers Tasered him.
Winnipeg Service Chief Danny Smyth said in his statement that police called an ambulance and administered first aid until paramedics arrived. The three witnesses dispute this claim. Pete says that “The ambulance driver, when they got here, asked, ‘Why is no one doing CPR on this guy?’ Not one fricken cop was doing CPR on him. They stood there like 15 minutes waiting for an ambulance while this guy is not moving.”
Pete and Bauer, both of whom are white, believe Mr. Wood was treated the way he was because he was Indigenous.
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