Stony Mountain Institution

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Stony Mountain Institution

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5 May 2006

The institution went into lockdown mode while police launched an investigation into the death of 30 year-old Sheldon McKay, who was found dead in his cell Wednesday afternoon. CPR was immediately given to the victim, but 30 minutes after being transferred to the hospital he was pronounced dead. McKay was an alleged high-ranking Indian Posse member, known as the street-gang's "no. 2" guy, who had been serving a life sentence for killing 19 year-old Adrien Bruyere in May of 2000 (Broadcast News 5 May 2006). Apparently McKay died of asphyxiation, and his death is considered a homicide by the RCMP. Stony Mountain Institution had to lock-down three times from 2002 to 2004 because of gang violence, mainly between the Alberta Warriors and Redd Alert.

Suicides

August 2003

34 year-old Alan Nicolson hanged himself in his cell with his bedsheet in August of 2003. Guards had moved him off of suicide watch, apparently against his wishes and without consulting psychiatric staff, shortly before he killed himself. Nicholson was both mentally unstable and addicted to cocaine during the commission of his crime, an armed robbery in 2003. Based on Nicholson's handwritten diary entries leading up to his suicide, Nicholson's father Raymond sued the correction facility for allowing his son to live in inhumane conditions, including staff-ridicule, uncaring psychiatrists, and "cold" treatment. An inquest declared that physical conditions were not acceptable and that there was a lack of appropriate health-care professionals on staff (Winnipeg Free Press 7 September 2005). In fact, the inquiry went so far as to say that conditions "amount to cruelty," and that several improvements to the institutions must be made, including:

1. an integrated mental health unit
2. a registered psychiatric nurse
3. an increase in professional health-care staff
4. the removal of metal conduits running the length of each cell's ceiling, which could easily be used for suicide attempts (Winnipeg Free Press 26 August 2005)

August 1999

Irin Gibson, serving time for murder, hanged himself with a rope in 1999 after already attempting suicide just weeks earlier at the remand centre. Controversy surrounding the suicide arose after an inquest declared in 2000 that fellow inmates had seen guards wait in Gibson's cell for 7 minutes before a medical team arrived and began administering CPR. The inmate also testified that guards at wrapped Gibson in a dark blue body bag before removing him from his cell.

November 1995

34 year-old Thunder Bay native Jeffrey Barkhuse hanged himself on November 27 of 1995. Barkhouse was serving over 3 years for robbery and theft. An inquest was later launched the next year in August (Winnipeg Free Press, 20 March 1996). Burhoses's death was the fifth in Stony Mountain since 1993.

Jan. 27, 1994

52 year-old Carl Caldwell, who had been serving a life sentence for murdering his two 13 year-old and 7 year-old children, bled to death in a health-care unit bed after severing a groin artery with a disposable razor.

Dec. 13, 1993

23 year-old Kyle Bodnar, serving time for attempted robbery, hanged himself in his cell with a homemade noose he had made from his own clothing.

March 7, 1993

Using his shoelaces, break-and-enter convict Ronald Carlson hanged himself in his cell.

Feb. 12, 1993

53 year-old Edgar Olson, who had been serving life for the murder of a 21 year-old RCMP special constable, committed suicide by overdosing on medication he had amassed (Winnipeg Free Press, 28 November 1995).

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