Grenada seeks probe into death of Toronto man - mistook plainclothes female police officer for a friend and hugged her -
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1107899--grenada-seeks-probe-into-death-of-toronto-man?bn=1
The death of a Toronto carpenter who clashed with police while visiting his homeland of Grenada for Christmas has drawn the attention of that country's government and touched off an official investigation.
Oscar Bartholomew, 39, died in hospital on the eastern Caribbean island on Tuesday, 24 hours after being taken into custody in the town of St. David's.
Family members have accused officers of beating Bartholomew after he mistook a plainclothes female police officer for a friend and hugged her, lifting her off the ground while in front of a police station.
Bartholomew, along with his wife and a cousin, had stopped at the St. David’s police station on Monday afternoon because his wife needed to use the bathroom, his aunt Josephine de Souza said in a telephone interview.
Police dispute that account, however, saying Bartholomew was arrested after assaulting an officer.
Dunbar Belfon, superintendent of the Royal Grenada Police Force, said the female officer was in uniform at the time she came into contact with Bartholomew.
Belfon said Bartholomew was taken into custody after the altercation and eventually transferred to hospital.
De Souza and one of Bartholomew’s cousins, Shem Pierre, accused police of leaving Bartholomew bleeding in his cell for at least three hours before calling an ambulance at the insistence of his wife.
Read more -http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1107899--grenada-seeks-probe-into-death-of-toronto-man?bn=1
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