Scammer
Banned
A Regina man who was subdued and pepper-sprayed by police during an arrest died by accident, a jury in a coroner's inquest has found.
The death of Calvin McLean on Oct. 9, 2008, as noted in an autopsy, was caused by asphyxiation, the jury concluded late Friday night after 12 hours of deliberation.
Coroner's juries are instructed to make findings on how a person died and can provide recommendations, if they want, on how to prevent similar deaths in the future. They cannot assign blame in a death.
The McLean inquest jury, which began hearing testimony on Monday, made recommendations that included more training of police officers in CPR, as well as more training in techniques for restraining a suspect and using pepper spray.
Police were called after McLean, 43, was seen waving an axe around. They were told McLean was going to the home of a man he believed may have harmed his daughter.
Police pepper-sprayed McLean, and five officers pinned him to the ground. When police lifted him up, he was no longer breathing. He was given CPR, but he died a short time later.
The inquest heard he had several broken ribs and a broken sternum.
The inquest heard two possibilities for how McLean ended up with broken bones: either it happened during CPR or when police were trying to restrain him.
Arrest suprised wife
The inquest also heard from McLean's widow, Andrea, who said she thought her husband was just stepping out for some cigarettes on the day he encountered the police.
It came as a surprise to her when she looked out the window and saw him running back to the house, she said. Police were chasing him.
She ran outside and saw her husband face down on the sidewalk, with four officers on his back. She recalled her husband saying "That's my wife," the last words she would hear from him.
At the hospital, doctors said her husband was brain dead, and the next day, she gave the OK to take him off life support.
