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
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.