Family of man left brain dead after incident with Prince Albert police seeking answers
CBC
WARNING: This story contains graphic content.
The family of Boden Umpherville is still searching for answers about what led to the man being stun-gunned and seriously injured by members of the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) several weeks ago.
Umpherville, 40, has been in hospital on life support for weeks as a result of injuries he sustained from an altercation with police during the early morning hours of April 1. He was recently declared brain dead.
"I hope this never happens to any mother, what I have to go through," said his mother Verna Umpherville during a news conference hosted by the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) in Saskatoon Friday morning.
"I'm so sad. My heart's broken for my son."
On April 1, officers pulled over a black Dodge Avenger in the 1100 block of 13th Street West in Prince Albert, Sask. Police say the vehicle had been reported stolen.
Three people were in the vehicle at the time, including its registered owner. The owner previously told CBC News they were driving and did not report it stolen.
Witness video obtained by CBC News showed six police officers around the vehicle, ordering Umpherville out of the vehicle. During the altercation, they used stun guns on him multiple times, one officer used pepper spray and at least one officer appeared to hit him, before they grabbed him out of the vehicle for the arrest.
A canine unit was also on scene, according to the FSIN.
Police say Umpherville went into medical distress shortly after the arrest. He was sent to hospital, where he has been on life support for three weeks.
CBC News has not seen footage of what led to the vehicle being pulled over, nor of any provocation that may have led to police trying to arrest Umpherville.
Saskatchewan's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), which investigates incidents where someone is injured or dies due to police actions or while in custody, says investigators found a loaded handgun at the scene. The provincial justice ministry previously told CBC News that it did not belong to Prince Albert police officers.
Umpherville's family says doctors have told them his condition was accelerated because his heart had stopped for 20 minutes before being revived.
According to the FSIN, the officers involved in the incident on April 1 were put on administrative leave for one week, but are now back on the job.
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