Headingley inmate said he felt he was in a war hours before he became unconscious, court heard Tuesday

The crisis negotiator who tried to de-escalate William Ahmo told a Manitoba court on Tuesday that he heard the Headingley Correctional Centre inmate say he believed he was at war before he became unconscious and was sent tohospital, where he later died.

The testimony came on the second dayof thetrial ofRobert Jeffrey Morden.

Morden, who wasa correctional officer at Headingley,is charged with criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide necessaries of life related to the death ofAhmo, 45, who was an inmate at Headingley Correctional Centre when he died more than two years ago.

Michel Jolicoeur,a senior unit officerwho was brought in as a crisis negotiator during the incident with Ahmo, faced cross-examination Tuesday morning.

Jolicoeur toldcourt aboutthreats he heard Ahmomakeahead of being swarmed by the Manitoba Correctional Emergency Response Uniton Feb. 7, 2021.

Jolicoeurstatedthat Ahmo saidhe felt like he was in a war, and said he would not "go peacefully," that the officers would have to kill him.

Defence lawyer Richard Wolsonasked about a methamphetaminecrisis at the jail whilecross-examining Jolicoeur.Jolicoeuragreed this was the case, and saidover the last few years the jail hadbeen experiencing a meth crisis.

Jolicoeur testified he had training to spot potential meth psychosis, and saidhe believedAhmo's behaviour that day did align withpsychosis.He saidthat Ahmowas displaying grandiose delusions, however no evidence was presented to confirm that Ahmohad taken any substances.

'Lots of anxiety' from pandemic restrictions at jail

The outburst from Ahmocameduring the peak of the pandemicin February2021, after Ahmosaid a correctional officer told him an offensive joke about First Nations people.

Jolicoeur told court on Tuesday there was "lots of anxiety" felt by both correctional officers and inmates at the jail during the pandemic.

He saidinmates didn't have regular contact with correctional officers, and many of the services were cut off.Prior to the pandemic, Jolicoeur saidofficers would have more one-on-one time with inmates in their units, and inmates would have access to chaplains and Indigenous elders.

When Jolicoeur was brought in to negotiate with Ahmo on Feb. 7, 2021, he saidhe felt threatened by Ahmo.Jolicoeur said while he can't remember exactly what Ahmo told him, he didrecall Ahmo threatening him.

Due to the threats, Jolicoeur said he and the other correctional officers in the unit rushed to the office that overlooks the jail unit, behind protective glass.

In videofootage from inside the jail shown incourt on Friday, Ahmo is seen getting agitated andpacing the shared space of his jail unit.He later ripped a water tank off the wall.

Ahmo was also seen throwing televisions, television standsand computers against the protective glass window of the office where the correctional officers were located, which overlooks the jail units.

Jolicoeur saidthe officers saw Ahmo collect shards of glassand pieces of metal from the television stands he ripped off the wall.Jolicoeur said he was told Ahmo later tookthose weapons to the second floor of the jail unit.

In footage shown Friday, Ahmo is also seen going to the shower room of the jail unit. Pepper spray had been used in the jail unit earlier, and Jolicoeur said itwas likely Ahmo went to wash thespray from his eyes. Ahmo is also seen in the video covering his face with wet towels, possibly to wash away the pepper spray.

Jolicoeur saidthat when the pepper spray was released, the jail shut off the ventilation systemto prevent the pepper spray from dissipating from the air.

Another inmate experienced an allergic reaction to the pepper spray.In the video presented Friday, Jolicoeur can be seen trying to negotiate with Ahmo to check on theinmate experiencing an allergic reaction.

He said the decision of theCorrectional Emergency Response Unitto enter the jail unit was to assist the inmate suffering from an allergic reaction to the pepper spray.

Five minutes to establish a pulse

The court also heard from one of the two paramedics at the scene, who were originally told an inmate was harming themselves.

John Kirouac, paramedic with Shared Health, says when he arrived at the jail, he was not debriefed about what was happening. While waiting he did see workers bring a chair into the area where Ahmo was being held achair that Ahmo would bedetained inwith a spit mask on his head.

When Kirouac and his partner, Ryan Tomm, were brought into the room they found Ahmolaying on the floor, unresponsive, with no pulse.

Kirouac says he and his partner couldn't find any visible injuries. It took about five minutes for the paramedics to establish a pulse.

Ahmo was transported to Grace hospital in Winnipeg, where he was intubated. A week later, on Feb. 14, 2021, he was taken off of life support and died.

The judge-only trial, being presided over by Manitoba provincial court Judge Tony Cellitti, began Friday andcontinues this week.

Headingley inmate said he felt he was in a war hours before he became unconscious, court hears

1 year ago

Duration 1:41

During testimony Tuesday at the trial of a corrections officer charged with criminal negligence in connection with the death of an inmate, a crisis negotiator recounted the level of anxiety in Manitoba's Headingley jail amid pandemic restrictions in 2021.