'Hearing that was brutal': Witness speaks out after EMDC inmate dies in custody
A man says he witnessed a violent altercation at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC) last month, the same night police say a man was taken to hospital and pronounced dead.
Wes Simpson was at the EMDC the night of Sept. 12, in the cell next to the person he believes was the victim taken to hospital that night.
“We heard yelling,” Simpson tells CTV News London in an exclusive interview. “Me and the guy underneath me, we both woke up to it and then there was a big bang.”
He says that “bang” sounded like someone being dragged off the top bunk in the next cell over, and slamming to the ground.
From there, he says it sounded like a fight broke out. At one point, he remembers hearing someone shout, “I’m going to gouge your eyes out and make you eat them.”
“Hearing that was brutal,” says Simpson.
It was after the lights had been turned off for the night, he says, and the commotion ended before any guards came to check on the situation. About 15 to 20 minutes later, Simpson says correctional officers came through for a routine check, only to pull what appeared to be a seriously injured man out of the cell.
“His chest was pretty red, and then his eye,” says Simpson. “He was bleeding from his eye.”
When he got a chance to see the cell next to his, Simpson says there was blood everywhere.
Emergency crews were called, performing chest compressions on the man pulled from the cell before taking him away, Simpson adds.
A London Police Services press release says an unresponsive man was taken to hospital the same night this took place, where he was later pronounced dead.
Simpson believes this to be the same person, someone he briefly got to know in the days leading up to the altercation.
“That guy was just too happy to just throw himself out like that,” he says.
Investigators have not released an official cause of death for the man who died in hospital. In the absence of concrete information, Simpson says he wants to get his experience out there to combat any rumours of what might have happened.
“I don’t believe it was a suicide,” he says.
London police tell CTV News London the incident is part of an active investigation, but they are not offering any further details at this time.
The Ministry of Justice also initiates an investigation whenever an inmate dies in custody. A ministry spokesperson tells CTV News London those take place after any police investigations conclude, take six to nine months to complete, and the findings will not be made public.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.