THUNDER BAY — More than nine years after 25-year-old Emmanuel Oruitemeka died in hospital after having lost all vital signs while on the floor of the Thunder Bay Police Services headquarters, a jury will hear evidence regarding the circumstances of his death and deliver recommendations to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
The coroner’s inquest into Oruitemeka’s death opened on Tuesday before presiding coroner Dr. Bob Reddoch. An inquest is mandatory in the province of Ontario anytime a person dies while in custody.
The purpose of the inquest is to determine the cause of Oruitemeka death and the manner of death. The jury can then provide recommendations to any parties with standing in the inquest.
The parties with standing have been determined to be the Thunder Bay Police Service and Police Services Board, several Thunder Bay Police Service officers both current and retired, the city of Thunder Bay, Superior North EMS, and the Black Action Defence Committee.
Julian Roy, counsel for the coroner, provided an overview of the evidence to the jury during an opening statement on Tuesday.
Oruitemeka died at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Feb. 16, 2014, four days after being taken into custody by the Thunder Bay Police Service.
The jury heard that a 911 call was received the afternoon of Feb. 12, 2014, from a resident in the Academy Drive area about three Black men chasing another man down the street. The caller said one of the men appeared to be carrying a gun.
Police responded to the area and two officers observed a male who matched the description. The man fled after seeing police, but officers were able to apprehend him near Trillium Way.
The man, later identified as Oruitemeka, was speaking incoherently, or in what one of the officers described as a language he could not decipher.
Oruitemeka was transported to the Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters on Balmoral Street.
Video surveillance footage from inside the sally port, or garage, of the police headquarters, as well as the booking room was shown to the jury on Tuesday.
In the video, Oruitemeka’s body appears limp as he is pulled from the police cruiser by an officer. He is dragged into the booking room and placed on the floor face down as officers removed his shoes, belt, pants, and jacket.
One of the officers is heard saying: “let’s not be stupid here,” and “I’m not playing this game.”
“He was fine 10 seconds ago,” the second officer is heard saying.
Oruitemeka remained unresponsive for several minutes, at which point an officer conducted a sternum rub but it did not illicit a response.
“Paramedics now I guess,” one of the officers is heard saying, with another replying: “Yeah, I’d say so,” later adding: “‘It’s strange how that happens.”
The officers suggested transporting Oruitemeka to the hospital in the police cruiser but it appears they were unable to load him back into the car and he was left on the floor of the sally port.
“He was fine in the back of the car and when we get here he’s suddenly dead weight,” an officer is heard telling another in the video.
For several minutes, between two and four officers are seen in the area while Oruitemeka remains unresponsive on the floor. At one point one of the officers appears to nudge Oruitemeka with his foot.
When paramedics arrive, it is determined Oruitemeka is vital signs absent and there is a sudden sense of urgency as he is lifted onto the gurney and a paramedic begins to perform CPR.
“He just opened his eyes,” one of the officers is heard saying.
The entire sequence of the video from when the police cruiser arrived at the headquarters to when Oruitemeka is led away by paramedics was 24 minutes long.
The forensic pathologist determined Oruitemeka died as a result of his brain not receiving enough oxygen due to a cardiac collapse that was likely caused by the ingestion of cocaine.
According to Roy, the cardiac collapse happened while Oruitemeka was in police custody at the Balmoral Street headquarters on Feb. 12, 2014.
The jury also heard a statement prepared by Oruitemeka’s brother, who said he is greatly missed by his family and his loss continues to be felt.
“I am deeply grateful for the time I was able to spend with my brother Emmanuel,” the statement reads. “Not only was he my big brother, but my best friend. His passing has left a void in our lives that cannot be filled.”
The inquest is scheduled for nine days with more than a dozen witnesses expected to testify, including the arresting officers, paramedics, and police officer training experts.
