'A lot of anger built up': Kyriakos Vogiatzakis' family calling for inquiry into his death

The brother of Kyriakos Vogiatzakis shared his anger and sadness Tuesday as he recalled what he felt went wrong the night his brother was assaulted and died outside his St. James restaurant.

Those emotions fueled Mike Vogiatzakis’ plea for an inquiry into the death of his younger brother.

Kyriakos, the 51-year-old owner of Cork and Flame, died on Jan. 24 after being assaulted outside his business.

“I have a lot of anger built up in me. I have a lot of frustration built up in me,” said Mike, speaking to the media Tuesday.

“I cannot believe my brother died at the hospital. My brother died on the street.”

Mike said his family was able to track how long it took first responders to get to the scene using a video captured by a witness. The family said Kyriakos was lying on the ground outside his restaurant for 25 minutes from the time 911 was called to when he finally received medical care.

“The ambulance showed up at 5:55 p.m. My brother was on the street for 25 minutes.”

In an email to CTV News Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) broke down the response time on the night of the incident.

The WFPS said the call to 911 came at 5:37 p.m. and units were dispatched two minutes later. At 5:42 p.m. a fire engine arrived at the scene but crews couldn’t enter until it was deemed safe to do so – which was at 5:49 p.m.

At that point, that’s when emergency crews started providing care. Then at 5:55 p.m., the first ambulance arrived, followed by a second at 5:58 p.m. for another medical emergency happening at the same scene.

Mike also claimed the defibrillator in the ambulance wasn’t working when it showed up.

The WFPS, however, said all equipment used at the scene was operating correctly.

“Either way, things went wrong, and we need to call an inquiry on 911 and what happened that day.

Kelly Gorkoff, an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Winnipeg, said an inquest is done by a coroner in the case of a death related to a failure in the public sphere.

A public inquiry would usually focus on more than one event.

“Now, it still does, I think, meet the benchmark of what was being asked for, which is more about how a system failure led to a death of someone,” said Gorkoff.

In terms of an inquest or inquiry, she suggested the family should wait until the police investigation is complete before taking further action.

Mike said he’s waiting for someone from the city to reach out to his family, while the WFPS said the victim’s family is encouraged to reach out to them to help address concerns.

Curtis Ross Dalebozik has been charged with manslaughter and uttering threats. The charges have not been tested in court and he is scheduled to appear before a judge at the end of May.