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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Inquest to be held into death of man who died while in RCMP custody

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 02/21/2013 1:46 PM

An inquest will be held into the death of a Nelson House man who died while in RCMP custody more than three years ago.

Police picked up Robert Wood for intoxication in the lobby of a local VLT facility on Dec. 30, 2009 and took him to the community nursing station. Later, he was transferred to a cell at the local detachment.

An RCMP guard later noticed he had fallen and was not moving. Wood was brought back to the nursing station by ambulance and then transferred to Thompson General Hospital.

Wood was assessed as having an intracranial bleed, and blood work indicated an ethanol level of 65 mm per litre. He was airlifted to Health Sciences Centre, where it was determined surgery was not an option. He died on Jan. 3, 2010.

His immediate cause of death was determined to be acute cranio-cerebral trauma due to a fall, with pneumonia as a contributing factor.

Under the Fatality Inquiries Act, inquests are mandatory for most deaths in police custody. They’re done to see what, if anything, can be done to help prevent similar deaths from occurring.

A hearing date has been set to determine who can participate in the upcoming inquest into Wood’s death. That hearing will take place at 10 a.m., Feb. 27, Courtroom C, Thompson Courthouse, 59 Elizabeth Dr., Thompson.

Dates for the actual inquest will be set following the hearing. Those interested in applying for standing should contact Christopher Williams, Crown attorney, at (204) 677-0668.

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