Pat Healey, Enfield, N.S. (Enfield Weekly Press) – Police were not to blame in the jail cell death of a prisoner at the Enfield RCMP detachment in January 2009, a report by Halifax Regional Police (HRP) has concluded.
Ryan Allen MacKay, 28, of Waverley, was found unresponsive in his cell in the early morning hours of Jan. 25, 2009. That’s when a guard, who checks on prisoners every 10-15 minutes, noticed MacKay wasn’t breathing and there was no movement. EHS was called.
MacKay was known to police with a criminal record. Police had arrested him just hours earlier after receiving a call at around 9 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2009, that a person was at a residence in violation of a court order.
While the full report won’t be released publicly until police have had an opportunity to review the findings with MacKay’s family, Nova Scotia RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Brigdit Leger did disclose some details.
“The investigation concluded the death was not criminal,” Sgt. Leger said. “The medical examiner determined the death was accidental in nature.”
When police arrived on the scene, they arrested MacKay without any trouble.
“He understood why we were there and came along peacefully,” said Sgt. Mark Gallagher, who has since passed away.
Sgt. Leger said police have remained in frequent contact during the investigative process with MacKay’s family.
“As you can appreciate, this is a very difficult time and they are still grieving,” she said. “Out of respect for the family’s wishes, we will not be releasing the information that we’ve received in the report. I can’t imagine how difficult this is for the family. It’s a tragic, unfortunate incident. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
It took 18 months for the investigation to be completed, finishing in June. Sgt. Leger said each investigation that is carried out has a different timeframe.
“There’s no standard amount of time,” she said. “There is no standard amount of process that it has to go through. Every single investigation is independent and is different. What’s very important is that a complete and thorough investigation by the agency is followed up, including gathering all the evidence in order to make a proper determination as to the outcome of the investigation. Wherever any investigation will leads us, we follow.”
Justice Minister Ross Landry, through a department spokesperson, pointed to the government’s announcement in Nov. 2009 they would develop an independent investigative unit for the province’s police system.
“This program is meant to bring our justice system to the level of accountability that
Nova Scotians have asked for,” Landry said. “The intent of this unit is to examine cases on a go-forward basis. We have great confidence in the job that investigating officers have and are doing with current investigations. This decision doesn’t reflect a level of confidence, only the need for a model that is current and more transparent.”
He said an independent unit will investigate matters when there is a serious incident, including death, serious injury, public interest and concern resulting from the actions of police officers.
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