‘Heartbreaking’: AFN national chief reacts to in-custody death of Indigenous man in Calgary

“Heartbreaking”: that’s 1 of the words Cindy Woodhouse, the nationalist main of the Assembly of First Nations, utilized arsenic she offered her absorption to the details released by Alberta’s constabulary watchdog connected Wednesday connected the probe into the decease of a First Nations man successful Calgary portion helium was successful constabulary custody.

The 42-year-old man, who has been identified as Jon Wells, a subordinate of the Blood Tribe from confederate Alberta, died connected Sept. 17 pursuing an brushwood with constabulary officers astatine the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre successful southeast Calgary.

Police said they were called to the edifice conscionable earlier 1 a.m. aft idiosyncratic reported “a antheral causing a disturbance and refusing to leave.”

In an update connected the lawsuit connected Wednesday, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said that during the encounter, which lasted for respective minutes, the antheral was unarmed, was acting “in a confused fashion” and appeared to beryllium trying to prime things up disconnected the level that didn’t exist.

When an serviceman pointed his stun weapon and told him to permission the hotel, the antheral raised his hands and said, “I don’t privation to die.”

After an serviceman attempted to drawback the man, a carnal altercation ensued, the antheral was deed with the stun weapon and punched successful the caput and handcuffs and limb restraints were applied.

ASIRT said arsenic much officers arrived, the antheral was lying connected the floor, bleeding from the rima and had vomited.

A spit disguise was enactment connected the antheral arsenic helium was lying look down connected the floor.

EMS gave the antheral a sedative astir 7 minutes aft helium was handcuffed.

About 3 minutes aboriginal idiosyncratic noticed helium was unresponsive and a abbreviated clip aboriginal helium was pronounced dead, ASIRT said successful the update.

Eugene Creighton, the commissioner of the Indian National Finals Rodeo and a distant comparative of Wells, described him arsenic a champion steer wrestler, “a large guy” and “a gentle giant.”

“He was a very, precise gentle antheral and dedicated to the community, to his household and to his hobby of rodeo,” Creighton said. “He was a relation model.”

On Thursday, the main of the Assembly of First Nations said Wells’ decease is conscionable the latest successful a bid of Indigenous people’s deaths successful Canada pursuing “run-ins with police,” including 8 too Wells successful the past month.

Woodhouse described the archetypal details from ASIRT’s probe into Wells’ decease arsenic “horrific,” and a setback to First Nations’ efforts astatine reconciliation.

“There’s been excessively galore deaths,” she said. “It’s hurtful and astir leaves you speechless. When you’re trying to enactment towards reconciliation, this is not helping.”

She is calling for First Nations oversight of the investigations into specified incidents and much backing to enactment policing successful Indigenous communities.

ASIRT tells Global News it has been successful interaction with Wells’ household and volition inquire if they privation an Indigenous elder chosen to supply oversight to the investigation.

Responding to the ASIRT release, Calgary constabulary Chief Mark Neufeld vowed Wednesday evening to afloat cooperate with the investigation.

“We invited the oversight, we invited the transparency,” Neufeld said.  “I would conscionable inquire folks to suspend judgement and fto the probe instrumentality its course.”

In the meantime, Neufeld says the 3 officers progressive person been placed connected 30-day mandatory administrative permission and CPS confirms to Global News they volition proceed to beryllium paid.

In a connection to Global News, a spokesperson for Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc said “we admit that caller officer-involved fatal incidents successful Indigenous communities person been incredibly hard for assemblage members, and astir of each the loved ones of the deceased. Our thoughts are with them.”

“Since 2018, we person invested importantly to bolster the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program to further summation entree to dedicated, culturally responsive policing services successful First Nations communities,” the spokesperson said.

“There is inactive a batch of enactment to beryllium done, but we volition get determination done ongoing collaboration and frank, unfastened dialogue.”