Corrections officer charged in death of inmate William Ahmo: Manitoba RCMP
Manitoba RCMP have charged a corrections officer in the death of an inmate at Headingley Correctional Centre last year.
William Ahmo, 45, died in hospital on Feb. 14, 2021, after a standoff with corrections officers on Feb. 7, 2021.
Following an "extensive investigation," RCMP arrested and charged 43-year-old Robert Jeffrey Morden in his death. He has been charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life.
The charges have not been proven in court.
RCMP said officers responded to reports of a man who was unresponsive at the correctional centre on Feb. 7 and that same day the Major Crime Services took over the investigation.
Investigators determined there was a "prolonged standoff" between correction officers and an inmate in a common area at the jail.
RCMP said the standoff ended when the correctional centre's Critical Emergency Response Team took the inmate from the area.
After being taken out of the area, investigators said the inmate, who was identified as Ahmo, became unresponsive and was taken to hospital in medical distress, where he died one week later.
The Chief Medical Examiner's Office of Manitoba said Ahmo's death was, "the result of a homicide."
In a statement from Ahmo's family, they say they are "relieved, grateful and cautiously optimistic after learning that the RCMP have charged a correctional officer."
Ahmo's mother Darlene thanked RCMP in an emailed statement, saying, "This has been an incredibly hard time for our family. Knowing that we may see the people who took Will from us held accountable gives us hope." "The RCMP has been respectful to our family through this process, and we are grateful for the professional manner that they conducted the investigation and stayed in contact with us."
The family said this is the first step in a long journey to justice and accountability, adding it will be monitoring the criminal proceedings.
"Now we want to see justice happen," said Derrick Henderson, Chief of Sagkeeng First Nation, Ahmo's home community. "Now let's wait and see what happens as it goes through the legal avenue that it has to go through now."
An internal email from Manitoba's Correctional Services Division obtained by CTV News that was sent to corrections staff in response to the charges alleges Ahmo was armed and posed a threat to staff.
"Although there was a tragic outcome, we believe staff were acting in good faith to control the critical incident," the email reads. "We recognize the impact of this tragic incident on involved staff, as well as our team more broadly, and we continue to support our staff in dealing with it."
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas said there have been too many deaths in correctional facilities in Manitoba.
"How many more of our First Nations people must die because of the racism encountered in these so-called correctional facilities? How can the system that prides itself on protecting people, allow for so many people to die?" he said in a statement.
Dumas said he is calling on the province, as well as Canada, to fix what is happening in prisons.
"We should not make this conversation about over-representation of First Nations people in the jail system, we should not just make this about mental health. This is about the people who are working and running these institutions who are killing our people and getting away with it. We cannot let this stand any longer," he said.
The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents correction workers, would not comment due to the ongoing investigation.
-with files from CTV's Danton Unger
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.