Warning: This story contains details that may be disturbing to some readers.
Manitoba’s office of the chief medical examiner called for a number of inquests on Friday.
In its releases to the media, the office issued six calls for inquests, looking into the deaths of three inmates at the Stony Mountain Institution, one psychiatric patient, and two individuals apprehended by Winnipeg police.
The calls were made in accordance with the Fatality Inquiries Act. Section 19 (5)(a) notes that an inquest must be held if one of the following occurs:
- The chief medical examiner has reasonable grounds to “believe that the deceased person died as a result of the use of force by a peace officer who was acting in the court of duty.”
- The deceased person was, at the time of death:
- In the custody of a peace officer.
- A resident in a custodial facility.
- An involuntary resident in a facility under The Mental Health Act.
- A resident in a developmental centre as defined in The Vulnerable Persons Living with a Mental Disability Act.
Darren Wood
The medical examiner’s office was informed of the death of 28-year-old Darren Wood, who it said was arrested by Winnipeg police on May 29, 2021.
Following his arrest, the office said he was sent to the Winnipeg Remand Centre, where he “admitted” to taking drugs prior to being apprehended.
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In the days leading up to his death on June 3, 2021, Wood complained about vomiting and leg pain. The cause of death has not been determined.
Dwayne Simard
The office is looking to investigate the death of 37-year-old Dwayne Simard. It said Simard was found unresponsive in his cell inside the Stony Mountain Institution on March 1, 2021. He had been arrested just two days earlier.
Inside the institution, he “complained to staff of feeling unwell and told them he was withdrawing from opiates.” A medical consultation determined he did not require any medication. An appointment was made to have Simard see a nurse the following day, but by then he was dead.
The medical examiner’s office noted that the cause of death was mixed drug toxicity.
David Rainville
An investigation into the death of 39-year-old David Rainville found that the individual had died from gunshot wounds.
The examiner’s office noted that Rainville was involved in an incident with Winnipeg police on Aug. 27, 2022. It said that after he failed to stop at a roadside check, Rainville was chased by officers before stopping near his residence.
He then exited his vehicle, charged and swung at an officer with a bat. After being shocked with a stun gun and proceeding to charge at police, he was shot multiple times by two officers, the office said.
EMS and first aid efforts were unsuccessful.
David Midouin
An inmate at the Stony Mountain Institution, 28-year-old David Midouin was found dead in his cell on Aug. 28, 2021. The examiner’s office noted that drug and related paraphernalia were found in his cell, and that Midouin was seen alive on surveillance the previous evening.
An autopsy concluded that the death was caused by mixed drug toxicity, involving fentanyl and MDMA, and that the incident was accidental.
Clinton McGeough
Clinton McGeough, 39, was an inmate at the Stony Mountain Institution. An investigation by the examiner’s office found that his death, on or around July 9, 2021, was accidental and a result of fentanyl toxicity. He was found dead during a routine check of his cell.
Ji Kim
An involuntary patient at the Health Sciences Centre’s psychiatric unit, 29-year-old Ji Kim was found dead near a park in Winnipeg, on April 8, 2022. According to the examiner’s office, he was last seen on April 5, 2022, when he went out for a “smoke break” and did not return.
Kim’s death was determined to be a suicide.
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