Alberta’s police watchdog has released more information on an investigation into the death of a man that occurred earlier this month while he was being placed in the custody of the Calgary Police Service.
It happened on Sept. 17 at the Carriage House Hotel and Conference Centre at 9030 Macleod Tr. Southeast.
Just before 1 a.m., police said they were called to the south Calgary hotel after someone reported “a man causing a disturbance and refusing to leave.”
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team said Wednesday afternoon that an officer arrived at the hotel alone to find the man standing near the check-in desk. The interaction between the pair was captured on body-worn camera.
ASIRT said the man was standing with his hands in full view and he didn’t have any weapons on him.
The officer ordered the man to leave the lobby, but the man stayed where he was. ASIRT said the man acted “in a confused fashion” and appeared to be trying to pick things up off the floor that didn’t exist.
After about 30 seconds, ASIRT said the officer pointed his Taser at the man and ordered him to leave the lobby. The man then raised his hands and said he would leave. ASIRT said the man asked the officer not to shoot him and as they were leaving the hotel, the man said “I don’t want to die.”
At this time, ASIRT said two more Calgary police officers arrived. As the officers were walking toward the man, he stopped and continued to say that he didn’t want to die.
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ASIRT said the original responding officer then holstered his Taser and attempted to grab the man.
“At no point during the interaction had the male been identified, nor was he ever told he was being detained or under arrest,” ASIRT said in a news release Wednesday.
“The male physically resists being grabbed and then is tackled by officer 2, who then punches the male in the head while both are on the ground.”
ASIRT said the other two officers then deployed their Tasers.
The three officers and the man were involved in a physical altercation that lasted about three-and-a-half minutes, according to ASIRT, with “various uses of force resorted to by the officers.”
“Once the male is detained on the floor, handcuffs and leg restraints are applied,” ASIRT said.
As several more officers arrived at the hotel, ASIRT said the man was bleeding from the mouth and vomited. A spit mask was put on the man as he was lying face down on the floor, ASIRT said.
EMS arrived and gave the man a sedative about seven minutes after he was handcuffed.
“This is administered to the male while he is still lying face down,” ASIRT said.
The man was left that way for about three minutes until someone noticed he was unresponsive. ASIRT said he was provided medical care, but pronounced dead.
The man who died has been identified as Jon Wells, 42, from southern Alberta’s Blood Tribe.
In a statement, CPS said “independent oversight of policing is important to the trust the public places in us.”
“Any time a person dies in the custody of police, there should be significant rigor around ensuring officers were acting within their lawful authority during that interaction. We support the independent oversight of ASIRT and are, as always, fully cooperating with their investigation.”
CPS went on to say “we know there is a family and a community grieving this loss and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.”
ASIRT’s investigation into the police officers’ use of force continues.
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