A standing hearing will be held this month to determine who can participate in an inquest into the death of a woman lodged in Thompson RCMP cells for intoxication.
The Feb. 25 hearing will give the judge an opportunity to question potential witnesses in the upcoming inquest into the death of 44-year-old Celine Samuel.
Samuel, 44, died Feb. 1, 2020, a little more than three hours after being placed in one of the Thompson RCMP detachment’s drunk tanks.
The inquest, called in October, will look into the circumstances surrounding Samuel’s death and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future. Under Manitoba’s Fatality Inquiries Act, an inquest must be called if a person was in custody of a peace officer when they died.
Samuel was lodged in a cell around 8:15 p.m. and observed to be conscious and breathing at 10:49 p.m. At 11:08 p.m. she was found unresponsive and RCMP and then paramedics attempted to resuscitate her. She was pronounced dead at 11:35 p.m.
Prisoners lodged at the Thompson RCMP detachment are supposed to be physically checked every 15 minutes and those in the drunk tanks are woken up every four hours to assess their condition.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU), which examines serious incidents involving on- and off-duty police officers in the province, said Samuel’s cause of death was a combination of acute alcohol intoxication and a subdural hematoma – a collection of blood outside the brain, usually caused by a head injury.
Video footage from McDonald’s, where Samuel was detained for public intoxication under the Intoxicated Persons Detention Act (IPDA), showed her falling off a stool twice and appearing to strike her head on the floor, the IIU said. The woman was medically assessed by Thompson Fire & Emergency Services paramedics prior to being placed in cells.
Prior to Samuel’s death, it had been 12 years since someone died while in Thompson RCMP custody. Since her death, another person has died while in Thompson RCMP custody – a man detained for intoxication Sept. 13, 2021 died the next day at Thompson General Hospital.
Individuals and groups who want to apply for standing in the inquest can contact inquest counsel Katy Sweet at 204-794-3421 or by email at [email protected] by Feb 22.
The standing hearing will be held at the Thompson provincial court office.
