City officers cleared in 2023 death of suspect high on cocaine
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Manitoba’s police watchdog has recommended the Winnipeg Police Service revise its use-of-force standards after probing the case of a man who died shortly following his arrest in October 2023.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba announced Tuesday police officers would not be charged in relation to the in-custody death.
Officers were sent to Broadway and Sherbrook Street shortly before 11 p.m. on Oct. 15, 2023, after receiving reports of a man running into traffic and acting erratically, police said at the time.
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Elias Whitehead
Witnesses told the Free Press at the time that officers forcefully took the man to the ground during the arrest.
The man was later identified by family members as Elias Whitehead from Webequie First Nation, a fly-in community about 540 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.
Witness video showed two WPS officers struggling with the man, who was lying face-down on the pavement. The suspect was struck by both officers multiple times, with one delivering a combination of punches and knees to the man’s upper body.
The struggle continued for about a minute before four additional police cruisers arrive and block the camera’s view.
During the arrest, the man began having trouble breathing, the IIU said.
First responders provided medical care to the man, witnesses said, including checking his pulse and performing chest compressions.
He was sent to Health Sciences Centre in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.
IIU investigators examined officers’ notes, multiple witness interviews, video footage from civilians and nearby businesses, medical reports and a use-of-force report prepared by an out-of-province expert.
The expert was “very critical of the subject officers’ use of force,” the report notes.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
Winnipeg police examine the scene at Broadway and Sherbrook Avenue in October 2023.
The chief medical examiner determined the cause of death was “subdual and prone restraint (by police officers) complicating cocaine intoxication and cardiomegaly (enlarged heart),” the report noted.
The IIU sent the file to the Manitoba Prosecution Service on Oct. 1, 2024, to determine whether any Criminal Code charges should be laid against the officers.
On Feb. 11, the Crown advised the IIU there was no likelihood of conviction and no charges would be authorized.
Based on the Crown’s opinion, the IIU’s civilian director will not recommend charges against officers, the release stated.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
