Keeping Up the Pressure for More Information on In-Custody Deaths

Monday, September 24, 2007 01:32 PM

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association hosted a half day forum in Vancouver today and the focus was on in-custody deaths.

Executive Director, Murray Mollard, says that in August alone, there were 4 in-custody and in-pursuit deaths. That, he says, underscores the need for independent investigations of police incidents.

His call is echoed by Delores Young, and Linda Bush.

Delores Young is the mother of Kevin St. Arnaud who was shot to death by Constable Ryan Sheramata in a soccer field in Vanderhoof in December of 2004. Linda Bush is the mother of Ian Bush, the young Houston man who was shot to death in the Houston detachment by Constable Paul Koester in late October of 2005.

In the case of Ian’s death, Linda says the RCMP seemed to be following a script. The officer who pulled the trigger wasn’t interviewed until months later, and only with questions that had been cleared by his lawyer. A blood spatter expert says the shooting couldn’t have happened the way Koester described.

In the St. Arnaud case, the eye witness account from a senior RCMP member was different from the version told by the Constable who pulled the trigger, but the senior member’s account was dismissed.

Charges were not laid in either case.

According to the BC Civil Liberties Executive Director Murray Mollard, the B.C. Coroners’ reports note police were involved in the deaths of 13 civilians in 2005, and eleven in 2004.

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Posted on Monday, September 24, 2007 01:32 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: heidi1555 on September 24 2007 2:09 PM

Did Shirley Heafey and Andre Marin speak as well? Very curious to what their input was.

Posted by: Truth on September 24 2007 5:51 PM

I forgot about the event. Too bad because I was around Robson and Hornby (Vanc) at 9:30 AM.

Andre Marin performed self-regulation for the Canadian Armed Forces and for Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, which conducts investigations when a cop causes serious injury to a rights bearer. Unfortunately, the SIU is mostly ex-cops, and they aren't as objective as we would like. I lived in Ontario when cops intimidated jurors into acquitting 2 killer cops. In the trial against the cops who shot to death (murdered in my opinion) Tony Romagnuolo, Ontario Provincial Police filled the gallery and stared down the jury. They got the message: find against our boy, and you get a ticket if you are 1 mile above the speed limit.

Posted by: northman on September 24 2007 6:19 PM

Something has to be done here. There should be no in custody deaths at all. The RCMP nees to step up to their role as public servants and and serve us rather then themselves.

Posted by: heidi1555 on September 24 2007 6:30 PM

I just watched global news and am shaking. I feel what we all need here in B.C. will finally come. We must keep talking and exposing the truth as we see it to the people of B.C./Canada/global and let them form their own opinions about these cases. Beautiful British Columbia???? We'll see. Is there going to be something available to the public to read that covers the words of all speakers from today? In 6 months my myspace blogs have reached over 1000 views. Was hoping for a larger number but grateful for the number I have reached so far.

Posted by: Gofaster on September 24 2007 7:25 PM

Of course he is going to parrot those who are paying him...
I feel for both families...It was a horrendous thing to loose a family memeber...
I also feel that no matter what the out come ever is...even if the officers were drawn and quartered in public or tortured for days they will never be happy or content.....

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on September 24 2007 10:15 PM

"..and in-pursuit deaths.." I supposed that includes the car that hit a tree in South Fort George with the owner captive in the trunk.

Who could complain about the death of that criminal?

Posted by: Truth on September 25 2007 8:59 PM

YDPC:

Nobody complains when cops do their jobs. I have been caught speeding twice. I wasn't angry at the cops. They had cause to give me citations, and I paid the fines. It is where there is abuse of authority, false arrest and excessive force, where cop conduct is at issue.

Posted by: heidi1555 on September 25 2007 9:20 PM

Yes Truth exactly correct. Here is a link I just stumbled across thanks to google alert :) It's a tad more about what was said at the forum yesterday. Thank god for internet! tee hee.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2007/09/25/InCustodyDeaths/