Patrick's Death: Jury's 5 Key Recommendations

0:00A coroner's inquest jury just ruled the 2020 death of 42-year-old Everett Riley Patrick from Lake Babai Nation as accidental. He suffered a brain bleed from blunt force trauma of unknown cause while in Prince George RCMP custody. Patrick passed away in hospital on April 20th after going into medical distress. He'd been arrested eight days earlier for a break-in at a sporting goods store downtown. Officers used tear gas in a police dog, leaving him with cuts, bruises and bites. Back in 2022, the independent investigation's office pushed for charges, but prosecutors dropped it the next year over insufficient evidence. Folks close to Patrick remember him as a devoted family man who always checked in on his kids and never missed a birthday. These inquests aren't about blame. They dig into facts to stop future tragedies, especially since they're required for any death in police custody. The jury dropped five key recommendations to B.C.'s Public Safety Ministry, RCMP's E-Division

1:00and Prince George City Officials. They want better wellness check training, verbal check-ins with detainees, mandatory cultural sensitivity for all civilian staff, plus RCMP exploring. Biometric monitors and ways to spot medical distress versus non-compliance. Changes like these could save lives moving forward, pushing facilities to step up training and tech for safer custody across the board. From your city, powered by AI, this is Vancouver News today. I'm Corey with The Story.