The Chief Coroner of Quebec orders the holding of a public inquiry into the death, at the Bordeaux prison, of a young black man following an altercation with correctional staff on Christmas Eve.
Pascale Descary announced on Tuesday the holding of public hearings to examine the death of Nicous D’André Spring, illegally detained at the Montreal Detention Establishment – the “Bordeaux prison”.
Mr. Spring, 21, was unlawfully detained on December 24 when correctional officers put a spit mask on his face and sprayed him with pepper spray twice. Mr. Spring later died in hospital, where he had been taken.
A judge had ordered the release of Mr. Spring the day before, but he and two other detainees were still in detention on December 24.
An anti-racism body earlier this month called for a public, independent inquiry into Mr Spring’s death. The Red Coalition also asks that any video taken inside the Bordeaux prison be shared with the family.
The organization is also calling for an independent autopsy and the creation of a citizen oversight committee for provincial prisons.
Mr. Spring was arrested by Montreal police on December 20. He appeared in court on December 23 for assault on a peace officer, criminal harassment and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He also faced two counts of breaching a condition of release. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Quebec’s Department of Public Security has already ruled Mr. Spring’s detention illegal, because a judge had ordered his release on December 23, but he was still behind bars the next day when he was arrested. suffered injuries resulting in his death.
The management of Bordeaux is conducting an administrative investigation and the Sûreté du Québec a criminal investigation.
No date has been set for the start of the coroner’s public inquest, which has been entrusted to Me Julie-Kim Godin.