A date has been scheduled for a coroner’s inquest into the death of a Chatham man.
The inquest into the death of 35-year-old Thomas Humphrey will take place on October 15 with Dr. Richard McLean as the presiding coroner. The inquest is expected to last six days, and it will hear from around 10 witnesses.
Humphrey, who was of Delaware Nation at Moraviantown heritage, died at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance on April 6, 2019, following an interaction with officers from the Chatham-Kent Police Service.
An investigation was conducted by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) following the death, which found no reasonable grounds to believe that an officer committed a criminal offence.
According to the SIU, emergency services responded to a residence in the area of Victoria Avenue and Grand Avenue East in Chatham on April 6, 2019, to tend to a man in medical distress. Due to the man’s behaviour, paramedics requested that police also attend to assist.
Humphrey was transported to the hospital by ambulance but died shortly after arriving.
Under the Coroner’s Act of Ontario, a mandatory inquest is required when a person dies while detained by or in the custody of a peace officer.
The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding the death, and a jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing further deaths.
