Inquest called after man died in an RCMP cell in The Pas

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An inquest has been called into the death of a man from The Pas who died after spending a night in an RCMP cell.

On Wednesday, Manitoba's chief medical examiner, Dr. John Younes, called the inquest into the death of 54-year-old John Ettawakapow.

In a release, the province said RCMP officers were called for a report of an intoxicated man on Oct. 5, 2019. Ettawakapow, who the province said was known to be homeless and was determined to be incapable of caring for himself, was taken to The Pas RCMP detachment and placed in a cell with two other people who were also intoxicated.

Around 1:30 a.m. the next morning, an officer checked on the cell and found Ettawakapow did not appear to be breathing. The province said his hands and face were discoloured. Attempts were made to resuscitate Ettawakapow, but he was pronounced dead when emergency medical services arrived shortly before 2 a.m.

The province said surveillance video shows one of the men in the cell rolling over in his sleep and resting his leg on Ettawakapow's neck for about 40 minutes.

According to the medical examiner's office, the immediate cause of death was acute alcohol toxicity, though the province said alcoholic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery atherosclerosis, and external neck compression contributed to his death. The province said the manner of death is undetermined.

The province said the inquest will seek to determine the circumstances around Ettawakapow's death, and determine what can be done to prevent similar deaths from happening in the future.

The province said a chief judge will decide the date, time and location of the inquest at a later date.