RCMP decries speculation after chiefs demand inquiry into Sagkeeng man’s jail death

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This article was published 06/05/2021 (1588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba RCMP are cautioning against “premature conclusions being drawn” before the completion of its investigation into the death of an Anishinaabe man at Headingley jail in February.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which Thursday morning called for a public inquiry into the death, amplified its demand in response to the RCMP’s statement.

William Ahmo, a 45-year-old father from Sagkeeng Anicinabe First Nation, died Feb. 14 in hospital, a week after a violent confrontation with corrections officers.

The Free Press has reported allegations from human-rights lawyer Corey Shefman, who is representing Ahmo’s family, that he was angered by a guard’s racist jokes, leading to an argument that escalated into an hours-long standoff.

Shefman said the situation concluded in unnecessary violence — Ahmo was unarmed — when a serious-incident response team arrived in full tactical gear and used stun grenades and gas canisters before beating him until he was unresponsive.

“Speculation at this point is a disservice to all involved,” the RCMP statement said.

“This is a large and comprehensive investigation with significant pieces of evidence still outstanding. When investigators have gathered all the facts and evidence, the RCMP will be able to speak further to the events that led to the death of Mr. Ahmo.”

But SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, calling the situation “pretty black and white” Thursday afternoon, again called for the public release of video surveillance and autopsy reports.

“We can contextualize any and all the information that’s brought forward,” he said. “I think the facts need to come out and that’s why we’ve been calling for full disclosure.

“We have an altercation that took place, and the end of someone’s life. We have a person who was at the mercy of people in the institution and now his life is gone.”

In a statement issued Thursday morning, the SCO said it believes the circumstances involved in Ahmo’s death amount to “egregious human rights violations,” and is calling for the imposition of a zero-tolerance policy dealing with staff racism at correctional facilities.

Daniels said the SCO has received assurances from the RCMP that the investigation will be “sound,” but suggested the continued silence has contributed to further deterioration of public confidence in the force.

RCMP said representatives met with First Nations leadership early in the investigation to hold “open and collaborative discussions” about its investigative standards, adding they continue to communicate both with First Nations leadership and Ahmo’s family.

Daniels noted Dwayne Simard, another Sagkeeng man, was among six inmates who have died in Manitoba correctional facilities thus far in 2021. The SCO is also calling for full disclosure of the circumstances of the 37-year-old’s death at Stony Mountain Institution.

“There really needs to be some independent oversight from First Nations governance,” Daniels said of the investigatory process.

“Especially when it’s mostly our people in these institutions. It only makes sense that we should be in charge of that, to ensure that our people are treated properly.”

Approximately 75 per cent of people in custody at federal and provincial facilities in Manitoba are Indigenous, despite making up just 18 per cent of the population. Many, as Ahmo was, are locked up awaiting trial.

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers