Thunder Bay Police Website
The coroner has ruled on more video evidence in two death inquests.
On the night of Don Mamakwa’s death there was closed circuit recording of Thunder Bay Police mistreating a different Indigenous man.
Inquest jurors for the Mamakwa and Roland McKay case will see this video.
TBPS has tried to block the video from being entered as evidence.
Both deaths happened while the men were in custody of the police after being brought in for possible intoxication. The incidents happened in 2014 and 2017 respectively.
Dr. David Cameron is the coroner on these cases and noted this behaviour exhibited by TBPS officers;
How racism, bias and stereotyping may have been a factor in the Thunder Bay paramedics’ and police officers’ interactions with Don Mamakwa and Roland McKay;
Cameron called the video evidence relevant and material to the issues that will be raised at the inquest.
The city police have been publicly accused of systemic racism and have had, at minimum, three reports with dozens of recommendations to train and facilitate positive change within the service.
