Pathologist says Headingley inmate died of brain injury from lack of blood, oxygen flow
CBC
A medical pathologist says Headingley Correctional Centre inmate William Ahmo had no traces of illicit drugs — such as methamphetamines — in his blood when he died in February 2021.
Dr. Charles Littman, an expert in forensic pathology, conducted the autopsy. He testified in court Thursday that Ahmo died from a brain injury, caused by a lack of oxygen and blood to the brain, likely triggered by how he was restrained by correctional officers. He also said that Ahmo's heart stopped during the confrontation with officers.
Robert Jeffrey Morden, a correctional officer and captain of Headingley's Corrections Emergency Response Unit, is on trial on charges related to Ahmo's death, including criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessities of life.
Ahmo, 45, was an inmate at Headingley before his death more than two years ago. He was taken to hospital in medical distress following a Feb. 7, 2021, standoff between corrections officers and Ahmo in a common room at the jail.
Ahmo died a week later. Manitoba's chief medical examiner ruled his death a homicide.
During the start of Morden's trial last week, court saw more than three hours of video shot on a handheld camera by an officer in a secured staff area behind protective glass.
In the video, Ahmo, 45, appeared to become agitated. The video showed Ahmo ripping a water tank and televisions from the wall, smashing them on the floor and throwing them at the protective glass of the secured staff area.
Littman said he watched the footage from that day. He testified Ahmo looked to be under a lot of physiological stress and exhaustion during the incident, likely causing his heart rate to rise.
He testified that Ahmo did have an enlarged heart, a condition that could have exacerbated his body's reaction to the stress, but Littman said that wasn't the cause of his death.
The video played in court last week showed that after hours of observation, members of Headingley's emergency response unit entered the area of the jail where Ahmo was.
The officers shot chemical projectiles at Ahmo, who was standing on the second floor of the unit, holding a broom handle. After a few minutes, Ahmo moved and swung the broom handle at about a dozen officers, who swarmed him and took him down.
Soon after, Ahmo was brought into another room.
In the video, officers could be seen holding down Ahmo in a prone restraint, which is where someone is held face down on the floor, with their legs and arms restrained, often with a knee placed on their back.
Littman testified that this type of restraint can asphyxiate a person, since it restricts a person's chest, preventing them from breathing properly.
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