Murray Wood: It's getting better all the time
Even if it seems - as the rejoinder in the Beatles' song observed - 'it couldn't get much worse,' Murray Wood suggests w...
By Susan McNeil
The man who was tased and struck with a baton by Prince Albert police during an arrest several weeks ago has died.
Boden Umpherville, 40, died Wednesday morning at about 6:30 after being taken off life support on Tuesday, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations has confirmed. Umpherville has been in a Saskatoon hospital and had no brain activity following an arrest on April 4.
Several videos of Umpherville’s arrest at the beginning of April show multiple police officers attempting to pull a man — confirmed to be Umpherville by family — out of a vehicle. Audio of the arrest shows officers telling the man to get out and then discussing using a conducted energy device.
His family said his injuries included broken orbital bones on both sides of his face, a laceration over his eye that needed 17 staples to close, and multiple other injuries.
They also claim he was left laying for 20 minutes after the altercation with no heartbeat and no help from the officers.
Court records show that Umpherville had a bench warrant out for his arrest and police said the car had been reported stolen.
The Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team, which was created on Jan. 1, is investigating the incident. The civilian-led team is tasked with delving into incidents involving police.
In a statement issued last week, the Prince Albert Police Service said it is working with SIRT on its investigation.
“The Prince Albert Police Service believes in processes that seek the facts and it is important that processes taken to assess the actions of all those involved, including the police, are fair, transparent, and defendable,” the police service said.
“We are fully co-operating with SIRT and as SIRT’s investigation is ongoing, PAPS is unable to comment further on this incident.”
— With files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Giesbrecht
