Coroner Joint Investigation Begins on Deaths in Thunder Bay Police Custody

Global news report said the joint investigation was started by the Coroner on Tuesday morning into the deaths of the two indigenous men while in the custody of Thunder Bay Police.

According to the same report, both men, Don Mamakwa and Roland McKay were arrested for suspicion of public intoxication and were being detained at the Thunder Bay Police Services headquarters when they lost vital signs. Mamakwa died on Aug. 3, 2014 and McKay died on July 20, 2017.

Both men reportedly didn’t get the proper medical attention and died from medical illness.

The investigation, which will last 17 days with 31 expected witnesses, will look into the conditions of Mamakwa and McKay’s deaths and the various factors that may have led to it. The investigation will also look into the “goals and appropriateness of taking intoxicated people into police custody, and explore alternatives including the use of sobering centers or hospitals.