courthouse


Testimony on the first day of a public inquest into the death of a Gull Lake Man while in Swift Current RCMP custody revealed that members suspect Corey John Cross took his own life.

The 36 year old was found dead at the Swift Current detachment on April 22, 2009 shortly before a scheduled court appearance.

Two members of the local RCMP and an advanced EMT testified on Monday to seeing Cross dead with a white fabric wrapped around his neck and the bars of his jail cell.

Constable Steve Hurst testified to seeing Cross sitting in his cell with the white fabric around his neck. He was initially unable to get the door open because of Cross' position. The Constable testified that he attempted to perform artificial respiration but was too late. He told the court that Cross was blue and cold to the touch when he found him.

Constable Hurst said Cross was wearing a black t-shirt at the time of his death. Another member had testified he was wearing a white t-shirt earlier in the week. Sergeant Michelle Kenke told the court that prisoners are only allowed one layer of clothing. That would include only one shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of underwear and one pair of socks. She testified that she had never seen the white t-shirt.

One of the arresting officers told the proceedings that after being taken into custody Cross was cautioned as potentially suicidal and was placed in cell block 3 so the guards could better monitor him. There were multiple accounts of Cross being initially drunk and confrontational. Constable Jeff Stringfellow said Cross was taken to hospital after he told officers about his chest pains, but a doctor determined he was fit enough to be held at the detachment.

Stringfellow told the inquest jury that Cross had calmed down by the next morning and was co-operative.

There were also multiple accounts indicating Cross could be a suicide risk. During a visit to the hospital, one member testified that Cross said he was ready to check out, that he wanted to make this his “final act” and “end this.” Another testified that Cross had said he heard voices in his head and wondered out loud whether he would be better off dead. According to testimony, Cross was taken to the hospital to see a doctor and was prescribed medication that appeared to help. The court heard that the doctor was willing to keep Cross at the hospital for observation, but didn't because he would not have been able to detain him if Cross attempted to leave.

Three members all said that Cross appeared very agitated, upset or frustrated that he had been turned down for legal aid. Sergeant Kenke told the court she took Cross to the phone room and allowed him to call as many lawyers as he wanted. She testified that one legal aid lawyer did come to meet with Cross in private.

Sergeant Kenke also told the court that there was an issue with the guard log. She said the guard's clock was six minutes faster than her watch. The log also indicated checks on Cross at 1:14pm, 1:19pm and 1:24pm that stated he was resting. Contrary to the logs, Constable Hurst testified to having first found Cross unresponsive in his cell at 1:08pm. The Advanced EMT told the court he received a call at at 1:11pm and responded to the RCMP detachment at 1:12pm. Constable Hurst said Cross was declared dead at 1:15pm.

The public inquest will continue Tuesday morning at 10am at the Court of Queen's Bench in Swift Current. The inquest is to hear from six more witnesses.

Section 20 of The Coroners Act, 1999, states that the Chief Coroner shall hold an inquest into the death of a person who dies while an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the person's death was due entirely to natural causes and was not preventable.

The Office of the Chief Coroner is responsible for the investigation of all sudden, unexpected deaths. In addition to establishing who died, when and where the individual died, the medical cause of death and the manner of death, the coroner's jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.

Coroner Robert Kennedy, Q.C., of Saskatoon is presiding at the inquest.

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