Skip to main content

A Sask. man injured in a violent arrest has died, family says

Share

A man injured in a violent arrest by Prince Albert police earlier this month has died.

Boden Umpherville, 40, died early Wednesday morning, a family member told CTV News.

He had been on life support since the April 1 arrest where he was Tasered, pepper sprayed and struck with collapsible batons.

Umpherville was removed from life support late Monday afternoon, according to another family member's social media post.

A video shared in the post appears to show the moment when Umpherville was removed from life support, surrounded by his family while one person sings If You Get There Before I Do, a song by country artist Collin Raye.

Umpherville's arrest is currently under investigation by the province's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT).

The violent arrest occurred after police spotted a black Dodge Avenger that had been reported stolen by its owner, according to a Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) news release issued in the wake of the incident.

When it was stopped a little before 2:30 a.m., Umpherville was found driving the car with two passengers inside, one of whom was the registered owner, according to police. However, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) says the owner claims she never reported the car stolen.

According to an April 4 Ministry of Justice news release, a loaded handgun was later found at the scene by SIRT investigators.

A bystander video submitted to CTV News shows the arrest.

Six officers can be seen surrounding the vehicle as the sound of Tasers is heard and police are seen using collapsible batons. At one point in the video, the car speeds forward briefly before coming to a stop.

Prince Albert Police Service has declined to answer questions relating to the arrest while the SIRT investigation is underway.

During an FSIN news conference on Friday, Umpherville's brother Darry said "no human being deserves" what his brother went through.

"(I'm) just disgusted with the police force for what they did to my brother," Darry said.

"They Tased him and they beat him." 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Suspect in shooting of Toronto cop was out on bail

A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by CTV News Toronto show.

Stay Connected