A man who died in police custody following an altercation at a Calgary hotel was the seventh native person to die at the hands of law enforcement since August 29.The local APTN network identified the man arrested at the Carriage House Inn on Tuesday as 42-year old Jon Wells, a member of the Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta.Police were called to the southeast hotel around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning following reports of an altercation in the lobby where the man was causing a disturbance and refused to leave the premises.According to CPS officers, he refused to cooperate and was subdued with a taser and pepper spray. After being arrested and taken into custody, he went into medical ‘distress’ a short time later. EMS declared him dead on the scene. The Alberta Serious Incidents Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating. .Social media posts portray Wells as an accomplished cowboy and father of three daughters who was former president of the Blood Tribe Ag Society and a 2012 Indian National Finals Rodeo steer wrestling champion.“A great cowboy who will be missed,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page. “Rest easy.”Circumstances of the arrest aren’t yet clear, but native advocates complained Wells is the seventh indigenous person to die in police custody across the country in less than three weeks.Hoss Lightning-Saddleback, 15, of Samson Cree First Nation near Edmonton was shot by police on Aug. 30 after he called 911 complaining that he was being followed by people who wanted to harm him.That incident is also being investigated by ASIRT.Jack Piché of Clearwater Dené Nation died after being struck by an RCMP cruiser on Aug. 29.Tammy Bateman of Roseau River First Nation In Manitoba was killed after being struck by a Winnipeg police vehicle on Sept. 2. Jason West was shot by police in Windsor, ON, on Sept. 6.In New Brunswick, Steven Dedam was shot by RCMP at Elsipogtog First Nation on Sept. 8 after members were responding to a call that he was armed and threatening to harm himself.That same day, RCMP were called to Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan Daniel Knife was shot and killed in a confrontation..The situation has become so acute, Members of Parliament are scheduled to hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons next week to discuss the matter.But according to the national Assembly of First Nations, the deaths demonstrate a pattern of “systemic issues” across the country with respect to law enforcement. Despite representing about 5% of the adult population, indigenous people account for about 32% of all people in police custody.Indigenous women account for about 50% of all incarcerated females in federal prisons, according to government statistics.“Time and again, we have witnessed the consequences of law enforcement’s failure to employ de-escalation techniques and culturally informed practices,” AFN Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in a statement.“We will continue to call for action to address these failures and expect full transparency in cases where lives have been needlessly lost.”
A man who died in police custody following an altercation at a Calgary hotel was the seventh native person to die at the hands of law enforcement since August 29.The local APTN network identified the man arrested at the Carriage House Inn on Tuesday as 42-year old Jon Wells, a member of the Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta.Police were called to the southeast hotel around 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning following reports of an altercation in the lobby where the man was causing a disturbance and refused to leave the premises.According to CPS officers, he refused to cooperate and was subdued with a taser and pepper spray. After being arrested and taken into custody, he went into medical ‘distress’ a short time later. EMS declared him dead on the scene. The Alberta Serious Incidents Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating. .Social media posts portray Wells as an accomplished cowboy and father of three daughters who was former president of the Blood Tribe Ag Society and a 2012 Indian National Finals Rodeo steer wrestling champion.“A great cowboy who will be missed,” the organization wrote on its Facebook page. “Rest easy.”Circumstances of the arrest aren’t yet clear, but native advocates complained Wells is the seventh indigenous person to die in police custody across the country in less than three weeks.Hoss Lightning-Saddleback, 15, of Samson Cree First Nation near Edmonton was shot by police on Aug. 30 after he called 911 complaining that he was being followed by people who wanted to harm him.That incident is also being investigated by ASIRT.Jack Piché of Clearwater Dené Nation died after being struck by an RCMP cruiser on Aug. 29.Tammy Bateman of Roseau River First Nation In Manitoba was killed after being struck by a Winnipeg police vehicle on Sept. 2. Jason West was shot by police in Windsor, ON, on Sept. 6.In New Brunswick, Steven Dedam was shot by RCMP at Elsipogtog First Nation on Sept. 8 after members were responding to a call that he was armed and threatening to harm himself.That same day, RCMP were called to Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Saskatchewan Daniel Knife was shot and killed in a confrontation..The situation has become so acute, Members of Parliament are scheduled to hold an emergency debate in the House of Commons next week to discuss the matter.But according to the national Assembly of First Nations, the deaths demonstrate a pattern of “systemic issues” across the country with respect to law enforcement. Despite representing about 5% of the adult population, indigenous people account for about 32% of all people in police custody.Indigenous women account for about 50% of all incarcerated females in federal prisons, according to government statistics.“Time and again, we have witnessed the consequences of law enforcement’s failure to employ de-escalation techniques and culturally informed practices,” AFN Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in a statement.“We will continue to call for action to address these failures and expect full transparency in cases where lives have been needlessly lost.”
