A year after the death of a man in a cell at a Halifax Regional Police station, we finally know his name though questions still remain around the circumstances of his death.
The Public Prosecution Service identified the man as Corey Rogers, 41. He was found unresponsive at 1:45 a.m. on June 16, 2016 in the cells at police headquarters on Gottingen Street. He was later pronounced dead by Emergency Health Services.
He had been picked up at 10:30 p.m. on June 15 for public intoxication.
It’s the first time any government agency has released Rogers’ name or confirmed that he was the man found in the police cells.
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They also announced that the Manitoba Crown will provide legal advice to the agency, the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT), investigating his death.
READ MORE: Man dies in Halifax police custody
Chris Hansen, a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service, said there was no reason why Rogers’ name wasn’t disclosed until now.
“There was never any publication ban,” she said. “There wasn’t any restrictions.”
According to an obituary posted online, Rogers was a cook at several restaurants in Halifax, loved to read and enjoyed playing chess.
READ MORE: Manitoba to provide legal advice for N.S. watchdog’s investigation into death in police cells
SIRT functions as the province’s police watchdog and were immediately called in to investigate after Rogers’ death.
According to Wednesday’s press release, the Public Prosecution Service found itself to be in a conflict of interest, with Hansen adding that the nature of the conflict is due to details in the investigation of the case.
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