An Indigenous man who was being held by Thunder Bay police in the hours before his death was captured on cellblock CCTV reaching out for a drink, lying down, and having difficulty moving.
A coroner’s inquest saw video of Donald Mamakwa, 44, alone in a cell at Thunder Bay Police Service headquarters in 2014 just before he passed away from sepsis and diabetes complications, a cause of death that inquest counsel has said was probably avoidable if he had been taken to a hospital. The footage was shown on Wednesday.
Without sound, the video showed Mamakwa at one point extending his arm between the jail bars while clutching a juice box.
The timestamp of the video clip, according to the inquest’s legal representative, matched the evidence of a different guy who had been detained at the time. He informed the investigators that Mamakwa had requested a drink but that he was unable to provide it.
The joint inquest in Thunder Bay is looking at the deaths of Mamakwa and his 50-year-old uncle Roland McKay, who died in 2017.
After being detained by Thunder Bay police on suspicion of public intoxication, both Indigenous men passed away from medical issues while they were in detention without having been examined by doctors.
Earlier footage showed Mamakwa laying on the bed while a constable dropped off the juice box. He appeared to consume the juice while lying down after carefully sliding the juice box in his direction with his left foot.
In many of the videos, Mamakwa was laying down.
Others showed him struggling to stand just before he passed away early on August 3, 2014, sitting up and rocking back and forth while appearing to be breathing heavily.
In a another video, a constable checks on the man after he’s already passed away and then brings other officers inside the cell.
On Tuesday, the first day of hearings, the attorney said that both individuals had a chance of survival if they had been transferred to a hospital.
The jury was informed that testimony is anticipated showing that if Mamakwa had been transported to a hospital, he would have had a 97% probability of living.
The two men’s families spoke in court on Tuesday about the hurt they felt knowing that they were not sent to the hospital for care.
The inquest is also examining how first responders’ encounters with the two individuals may have been impacted by racism and bias.
On Wednesday, a medical expert began speaking on how racism affects Indigenous people and how they engage with the healthcare system.
Watching cellblock video of a guy pleading for assistance during a Thunder Bay police death investigation
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