Cocaine and brain disorder, not RCMP Taser, responsible for death of Brooks man

Lake Bevan Pl. in Brooks

An investigation into the May 2009 death of 40-year-old Grant William Prentice has determined the medical cause of the Brooks resident’s death was Acute Cocaine Toxicity and Excited Delirium Syndrome, and not related to RCMP use of a stun gun.

On the evening of May 6, 2009, Prentice and his dog were seen approaching several homes in a residential cul-de-sac. The resident of one Lake Bevan Pl. home was alarmed by the sight of the man, who had blood on his face and knee, on her doorstep. She called 911 after the man attempting to gain access to her home.

RCMP units and an EMS crew responded to the scene and a visibly agitated Prentice attempted to leave the area on foot. An RCMP constable told Prentice to stop and, when the suspect refused, Prentice was taken to the ground.

The suspect continued to resist arrest by folding his arms underneath his body so officers could not handcuff him. In an attempt to arrest the man, officers used knee strikes to the suspect’s thighs and a Taser was applied to Prentice’s leg, but the suspect continued to resist.

Additional resources were deployed and Prentice was arrested using two sets of handcuffs.

An officer noticed Prentice was turning blue and the EMS crew attended to the man. The paramedic and EMT determined Prentice was unconscious, unresponsive, and cyanotic, with decreased, shallow breathing and an alarmingly slow pulse. The patient went into cardiac arrest and the crew began CPR.

Prentice was transported to the Brooks Health Centre where he was pronounced dead, thirty minutes after his arrival.

The Minister of Justice and Solicitor General requested an inquiry into the fatality and the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) investigated the actions of the RCMP.

An autopsy into Prentice’s death determined the 40-year-old had succumbed to cocaine toxicity and a toxicologist declared the level of cocaine in the deceased man’s system was five times the level considered potentially fatal.

Two doctors, medical experts in the field of excited delirium syndrome (ExD), a neurological disorder, testified during the inquiry into Prentice’s death. Dr. Deborah Mash and Dr. Christine Hall said the deceased’s symptoms were consistent with the syndrome. Patients with ExD are known to exhibit extreme strength, incoherence and high body temperature, and often fall limp and die after physical exertion.

The full findings of the inquiry are available at Report to the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Public Fatality Inquiry.