The day after the downtown vigil for Olando Brown, many people are still left with unanswered questions following the death of the 32-year-old Barrie man on Friday while in police custody.
And it may be a while before they do receive answers, as the incident and everything about it is now evidence for the Special Investigations Unit probe.
Although authorities haven't released the man's name, family and friends have identified him as Olando Brown.
He was arrested Friday afternoon by Barrie police officers.
A pair of videos believed to be of Brown's arrest appear to show officers using conductive energy devices (also known by the Taser brand name) during the arrest.
While being booked, the man went into medical distress, according to the SIU.
Paramedics arrived to provide first aid and then took him to Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
No information has been released by authorities about why he was arrested, but one woman who said she knew Brown told BarrieToday it was related to an outstanding assault charge.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Barrie Police Chief Kimberley Greenwood read a prepared statement about the incident, but did not take any questions from the media.
Greenwood talked about the police department's dedication to the community before leaving the press conference.
“This was a very tragic incident, one that touches families, friends and our whole community,” Greenwood said.
“In accordance with regulations and legislation, the Barrie Police Service contacted the Special Investigations Unit, who invoked their mandate and is the independent investigations agency on this matter," she said.
"I recognize that this is a very tragic incident that is difficult for our community, but legislation prevents the Barrie Police Service from speaking to the events or circumstances leading up to this incident," Greenwood said. "But I can tell you that that Barrie Police Service is fully co-operating with the SIU and will continue to do so.
"The Barrie Police Service has the utmost trust and confidence in the SIU to conduct a thorough, timely and complete investigation," she added, before directing any further questions on the matter to the SIU.
"I leave you with this: the Barrie Police Service is committed to our community and we will continue to deliver service excellence," Greenwood said.
The incident is now in the hands of the SIU, which provided a statement to BarrieToday on Tuesday morning.
“I can tell you that SIU investigators attended the post-mortem, which took place yesterday,” said SIU spokesperson Monica Hudon. “ However, the results of a post-mortem are considered evidence and the SIU does not speak to any evidence until an investigation is completed.”
The SIU has said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 32-year-old man in Barrie. According to the SIU, the man was arrested around 2:30 p.m., June 22, and transported to the police station. While being booked, the man went into medical distress. Paramedics arrived, administered first-aid and took the man to hospital where he died.
There is no mention by the SIU of a Taser-type weapon being used during the arrest.
A vigil held Monday evening at the location near the Five Points where the arrest took place drew hundreds, including Brown’s aunt and other relatives, who confirmed that deceased male was indeed Olando Brown.
Barbara South lives in Brampton, but has been active in trying to get information about her nephew’s death since she received word from her father.
“I got a call from my dad, who got a call from Jamaica, saying something had gone wrong with Olando,” South said. “He had been talking to a lawyer to turn himself in, so I called that lawyer, who had not heard anything about a death and said he would call me back.
"The lawyer got back to me and said that the police told him that yes, a 32-year-old person has died in police custody, but they didn’t give a name," she added.
South said she then called the police, who told her that the SIU was handling the investigation now and that they were not able to speak on it.
That led Brown’s aunt to call the SIU.
“We spoke to them Saturday and they gave us a different version of the whole incident,” she said.
South arrived at the downtown vigil late Monday night with relatives to pay respects and see the cards and items of remembrance and thank anyone who was there for stopping by.
While not an expert in Taser use, South says she has seen the video and is unsure how her nephew could have died, seeing as he was in such good health.
“Olando had no health issues that I was aware of,” she said. “He played soccer and he just finished training for the season that started and I believe he had a game that same Friday, so he was quite healthy.”
South says the family is unsure about where they go next, but are researching to see the best course of action.
“We’re trying to see what kind of justice we can get and what our options while doing some research to see how to proceed from here now,” South said.
Severena Storkson, 27, said she was hanging out with Brown at his home in the area of Bayfield and Wellington streets the night before he died. She said they listened to the 1996 song ‘Life Goes On’, which focuses heavily on the theme of death, by the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
“He was so friendly, generous and kind-hearted,” said Storkson, who dropped off a stuffed goat Tuesday afternoon at the downtown vigil set up near the Five Points in Brown’s honour.
Storkson, who said she had been friends with Brown for the last few months, said the goat was a fitting symbol to commemorate her friend because he always talked about his love for Jamaican food, including curried goat.
“I’m just beside myself today,” said Storkson, who added she was in Mississauga when she heard the news of Brown’s death. “We just want justice, but I also want him to be remembered for who he was.”
-- With files from Raymond Bowe
