Family of Blood Tribe man who died in Calgary Police custody calls for public inquiry

The family of a Blood Tribe man who died after he was restrained by Calgary Police is calling for a public inquiry into his death.

Jon Wells, 42, died Sept. 17 after police tackled, punched and deployed "various uses of force" on him, according to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which is investigating the incident. 

According to a news release from ASIRT. police were responding to a call about a man refusing to leave a hotel lobby.

Police restrained Wells, who was unarmed, on the floor using handcuffs and leg restraints and then put a spit hood on him while he was lying face down, according to the release.

He was later declared dead at the scene. 

At a meeting of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in Calgary on Wednesday, Blood Tribe Chief Roy Fox spoke on behalf of Wells's family, asking for the AFN to support a call for a public inquiry. 

"It's a real tangible way… of supporting someone who has been unjustly treated," Fox said. 

Speaking on behalf of Wells's family, Fox called on the Alberta and federal governments to prevent hiring of "individuals with racist, discriminatory or prejudiced views" on police forces. 

Fox said the Blood Tribe and the family has had support from Calgary's mayor and the chair of the Calgary Police Commission. 

"We have not received any kind of support or any kind of sign of empathy from the provincial government nor the federal government," Fox said. 

'We will never stop fighting,' says national chief

At the AFN meeting on Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reiterated her support for First Nations policing. 

She and AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak both called it an "essential service," adding First Nations policing needs sustained and reliable funding from the federal government. 

Woodhouse Nepinak said she met with the Wells family before the meeting. During her opening remarks she offered condolences to the Wells family — including his mother and two siblings — who were in attendance. 

"We let them know we will never stop fighting in his name and all the others who have died in the custody of colonial police forces," Woodhouse Nepinak said. 

She and Fox also referenced the deaths of eight other Indigenous people during incidents with police between Aug. 29 and Wells's death on Sept. 17. 

Fox said the Blood Tribe was extending its support to other families of First Nations people who have been killed by police. 

"They're supposed to protect us, not kill us," Fox said. 

Wells's family has previously announced they plan to file a formal complaint against three officers involved in Wells's death.