A 19-year-old man who died in a police holding room early Sunday went into an unexplained convulsion just minutes after he was brought into the downtown Public Safety Building for stealing a minivan, sources say.
Paramedics responded almost immediately to the call and did CPR for almost 30 minutes to revive Wilfred Asham, but could not get a pulse.
Asham's family said Tuesday they don't know why Wilfred would suddenly go into convulsions as he had no history of seizures and was not taking prescription medication.
"He was a perfectly healthy young man," uncle Darren McKenzie said.
Johanna Abbott, director of the province's medical examiner's office, said an autopsy found no evidence of significant injuries or trauma.
She said officials are now waiting for the results of toxicology tests to see if Asham had anything in his body, like street drugs, that may explain why he went into a seizure. Results are expected in about three weeks.
There are only a handful of reasons why someone would have a sudden seizure -- a head injury, drug use or a pre-existing medical condition. In some cases, though, neurologists can find no reason for a seizure.
Asham's stepfather, Louis Vosters, said the family has got no further information from police. They are considering hiring a lawyer so they can get access to internal police reports on Asham's arrest.
What is known is that he and a 17-year-old boy were arrested after a short police chase through the downtown area. The pair had allegedly stolen a Pontiac Transport minivan after leaving Club Fantasy, an inner-city strip club at Balmoral Street and Notre Dame Avenue.
They were spotted by police driving south on Main Street towards the downtown and tried to get away by turning west and heading into the Westin neighbourhood. Minutes later, they crashed the van into a fence and bolted on foot.
Asham was arrested first and the young offender was arrested soon after when a police dog tracked him down hiding in a tree.
Asham was brought to the Public Safety Building at about 1 a.m. Less than 20 minutes later, police called paramedics, who tried to revive Asham at the scene but couldn't get a pulse.
Police spokesman Sgt. Kelly Dennison said Asham was placed in a holding room, not an interview room which are equipped with video cameras. It's believed Asham was not handcuffed.
Vosters said he wants a separate independent investigation done to remove any perception of police cover-up.
"There is something wrong with the system," he said. "It's just one branch of the government investigating the other."
Asham's death may be the subject of a provincial inquest if it's determined he did not die by natural causes.
His death is the first in-custody police death since June 2004, when Alan Earl Rupert died after falling down a set of stairs at a Magnus Avenue rooming house. Two police officers had him in custody and were escorting him out of the building. Rupert, 47, never recovered and died in hospital in February 2005.
An inquest into the death is scheduled for Nov. 19-30.
bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca
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