Inmate reportedly died of heart attack after use of pepper spray, spit hood in Montreal jail

An unlawfully detained inmate who died after a physical altercation in a Montreal jail on Christmas Eve suffered a heart attack after guards fitted his head with a spit hood and pepper-sprayed him three times, according to confidential documents obtained by Radio-Canada.

The documents reveal details about the intervention in Montreal's Bordeaux jail that led to the death of 21-year-old Nicous D'Andre Spring.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 24, Spring was reportedly involved in a fight with other inmates in a unit of the detention centre where he had recently been admitted, after spending time in isolation. 

Detained four days earlier after being charged with assault on a peace officer, possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes and criminal harassment, he refused to shower.

Radio-Canada sources close to the case say several inmates had complained about Spring's body odour and insulted him. Quickly, a code was reportedly issued over the radio to intervene in a fight between several people.

According to the documents, witnesses identified Spring as the instigator of the fight.

Officers were able to return all of the inmates to their cells, except for Spring, the documents say, who physically resisted. He reportedly attempted to headbutt the guards and insulted them while spitting.

At that point, a spit hood — a restraining device made of mesh that is placed over a detainee's face to prevent them from spitting or biting — was put over Spring's head. A supervisor then ordered one of the guards to use pepper spray to subdue him, the documents say.

Spring reportedly became even more aggressive. Another guard then grabbed the pepper spray from his colleague, "put some on his gloves and smeared it directly" on Spring's face. 

In total, the intervention to subdue Spring involved nine correctional officers, the documents say. 

Guards were able to transfer the inmate to a holding area and made several attempts to perform a decontamination shower, but Spring — whose hands were cuffed behind his back — is said to have prevented them from completely closing the door.

The officers then resorted to pepper-spraying him once more. According to the documents, corrections officers asked Spring to "co-operate and get up," but his body was limp. 

A supervisor ordered the officers to transport Spring to his cell as the team believed he was faking his condition, the documents say. 

Once there, officers indicated Spring was in urgent respiratory distress and had no pulse. Within minutes, nurses from the local health authority are said to have arrived on scene and performed CPR and used a defibrillator to try and resuscitate him.