Details surrounding a Saskatoon man’s death while in police custody are coming to light this week in a public inquest.
Michael Ryan, 38, died February 26, 2016, while in police custody. He was arrested for public intoxication following multiple calls to police of a man walking into traffic at the intersection of 22nd Street and Avenue P.
A jury of three men and two women heard the 911 calls and saw police video of the arrest and subsequent detainment. The lead investigator, and the first witness to testify, walked the jury through the videos, which showed Ryan resisting arrest. Officers had to force him into the vehicle. Once inside the cruiser, police learned Ryan had outstanding warrants, so they took him to police headquarters to be detained.
During the car ride and at the police station Ryan asked multiple times to make a phone call. He also told the officer he frequently suffered from panic attacks. At no point did Ryan make a phone call or receive medical attention.
“When somebody’s in distress, even just having a simple blood pressure test or a heart rate test would have been enough to know that somebody is not healthy,” said Ryan’s brother, Cheney Ryan.
The autopsy report showed that the cause of death was a drug overdose. Results showed he had multiple drugs in his system, including cocaine and methamphetamine.
“We’re happy it’s over and we’re finally getting answers, but I’m also mad that there wasn’t direct medical attention,” said Cheney.
Public inquiries are called by the coroner’s office. The goal is to come up with recommendations so that similar deaths don’t happen in the future.
There are 12 witnesses set to testify at Ryan’s inquest, which is expected to last three to four days.
