LONDON, Ont. - Ontario's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has found no reason to lay charges in the death of a 29-year-old man who collapsed while being admitted to the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC).
On Dec. 26, 2018 the man was arrested for arson at a men's shelter in the city and held overnight at London police headquarters.
The next day, he was taken to a cell at the courthouse for a court appearance, after which he was transported to EMDC where he collapsed. He was then taken to Victoria Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
According to the SIU report, the man was medically segregated at the courthouse cells when he began to experience some discomfort and difficulty walking.
The SIU says staff working in the courthouse cells said nothing about being made aware of the complainant’s troubled breathing or him asking to be taken to the hospital. As far as they knew, he was experiencing back pain and had refused medical treatment.
On Dec. 28 a post mortem found the preliminary cause of death appeared to be pneumonia and lung abscesses. A urine sample found narcotics and stimulants in the man's system.
Interim SIU Director Joseph Martino, has determined there are no reasonable grounds to lay criminal charges against any police officer in relation to the man’s death.
However, the SIU report goes on to say that if courthouse guards were alerted to the complainant having trouble breathing and needing medical attention and these requests were ignored, the conduct of that personnel could be subject to scrutiny under the Criminal Code.
