Calgary police are under a cloud of suspicion after two people died in police custody in under a week.
Derwin Many Fires, 27, of the Siksika Nation 70 km east of Calgary died in a Calgary hospital on Sat., Jan. 11.
He was arrested for alleged public intoxication but suffered severe head injuries as he was being booked into a downtown police cell on Dec. 21.
Family members maintained a two-week vigil at his bedside. They believe Many Fires may have died from injuries from being beaten by police.
The police version is that Many Fires collapsed and hit his head on the floor.
A fatality inquiry is being conducted by homicide detectives to verify the cause of death. Such an inquiry is also being conducted into the death of a 16-year-old youth who allegedly hanged himself by his bootlaces in a police station on Jan. 7. It isn’t known if the youth was also Native.
