Skip to content

Inquest announced into death of man in OPP custody

The regional supervising coroner in Thunder Bay will oversee an inquest into the death of a man in Atikokan.
atikokan-general-hospital
Aaron Fisk was pronounced dead at Atikokan hospital in October 2020 after being found unresponsive at the OPP detachment (Clint Fleury/NWO Newswatch)

ATIKOKAN — An inquest has been announced into the death of a man who died while in OPP custody four years ago.

Aaron Fisk, 37, was pronounced dead in October 2020 at the Atikokan hospital.

An inquest is mandatory under the Coroners Act.

Dr. Michael Wilson, supervising coroner for the North Region based in Thunder Bay, said the inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the death, and may result in recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.

A date and location have yet to be determined.

The Special Investigations Unit investigated Aaron Fisk's death, and announced in August 2021 that it had found no grounds to charge two OPP officers, saying the officers did not fail to care for his wellbeing while he was suffering the effects of a drug overdose.

The offences taken into consideration by the SIU included failure to provide the necessities of life and criminal negligence causing death.

In his decision, the SIU director wrote “While it might have been preferable in hindsight to call for paramedics at the first sign of unresponsiveness on [Aaron Fisk's] part – at about 9:30 p.m. when he fell forward off the cell bench – I am unable to reasonably conclude that any such lapse in judgment amounted to a marked departure from a reasonable level of care, much less a marked and substantial departure”.

 

 




Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks