First responders did nothing wrong in dealing with man on meth who later died: judge

Winnipeg Free Press

19-07-2025

An inquest judge said nothing more could have been done to save a man who died one week after he was restrained by police while he was high on meth and acting out on the Assiniboine Riverwalk.
'There is no evidence that the police or medical personnel could have done anything more than they did,' wrote provincial court Judge Sandra Chapman in a report released Friday that gave no recommendations from the review of the case.
The death of Aaron Ross, 27, in hospital on Sept. 30, 2019, was 'untimely' and 'tragic,' the judge said.
Provincial law requires an inquest be held when a person dies while in custody of police or corrections staff, and make recommendations to prevent similar fatalities.
Chief medical examiner Dr. John Younes determined Ross's cause of death was a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen due to cardiac arrest linked to meth toxicity.
A contributing factor was the physical stress of struggle and restraint by police, the report said.
Chapman wrote that an official working group should be formed to examine whether blood samples can be taken from patients who appear to be suffering from drug toxicity, in case it's needed for autopsies.
In Ross's case, no blood sample was analyzed and the urine sample that was taken never made it to medical examiner's office. Younes only became aware of the methamphetamine found in Ross's urine at the inquest.
On Sept. 23, 2019, Ross was observed behaving erratically near the riverbank at Assiniboine Avenue and Kennedy Street.
Police responded after residents had reported Ross was yelling and taking his clothes off, then fell back and hit his head on a curb on the riverwalk.
Officers used a RIPP hobble device, a kind of belt used to restrict movement of ankles, knees or elbows, to stop him from flailing around.
In his 2021 autopsy report on Ross, Younes used the term 'excited delirium' — a controversial term that has been debunked.
He has since said he will avoid using the term in future autopsy reports.
Chapman's inquest report noted the concept is no longer in vogue with the medical community and isn't used by city police or the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service. It was in use locally at the time of Ross's death and though city police no longer use the term, that's what officers suspected was happening upon finding Ross.
Younes told the inquest 'the difficulty' with the term from a medical standpoint is that it was listed as a cause of death without further explanation of the underlying causes.
Winnipeg police told the inquest they've stopped using the term.
The situation Ross was found in would now be described as an 'agitated chaotic event,' said Chapman, which is typically caused by drug use or mental health issues.
'Basically, an agitated chaotic event is one where an individual's behaviour suggests to the first responders that this could be a medical event, requiring police intervention, only to the extent that they are required to ensure the safety of the individual or the public,' said Chapman.
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Erik PinderaReporter
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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